


I Am Your Light, I Will Guide You Home

by StoneColdJaneAusten



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Dumbass Ellie, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Romance, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26079220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoneColdJaneAusten/pseuds/StoneColdJaneAusten
Summary: After being adopted in Boston and moving to Pittsburgh, Joel's job forced Ellie to move to Jackson. Being new in town, Ellie was met by her new neighbor Dina, offering to take her on a tour.AKA:Ellie and Dina are useless and start to fall for each other without realizing it.
Relationships: Dina & Joel (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us), Joel & Tommy (The Last of Us), Maria/Tommy (The Last of Us)
Comments: 101
Kudos: 276





	1. Moving Day

Sitting in the car, Ellie watches as the scenery changes from city skylines, to fields and farms, to mountain ranges. Looking at her reflection in the car’s sun visor mirror, she looks at the bags under her bloodshot green eyes. Her auburn hair thrown into the sloppiest bun, Ellie was exhausted. Three days of traveling on the road and staying at crappy rest stop motels sure didn’t do the pale girl any good. She leaned her head against the window and shut her eyes, hoping for a place to call a permanent home. She sighed before hearing the baritone voice beside her,

“You doin’ okay, kiddo?” Ellie looked over to the salt and pepper haired man driving. He wore a black and red flannel under a brown coat with the buttons undone and ratty worn jeans. His beard was bushy, yet trimmed. Ellie thought he looked more and more like a lumberjack as days passed.

“Yeah, I’m just exhausted. Those motel beds fucking suck. It’s like sleeping on a brick.” Ellie huffed.

“I know I am sorry. We will be in Jackson hopefully in an hour, and then you can rest up there.” 

“Are you excited to see your brother again, Joel?”

“Yeah, it’s been quite a while since I last saw him, but I know he’ll make Jackson feel just like home for us,” Joel said as Ellie nodded. “You can sleep if you want, I’ll wake you as we get closer.”

“Thanks, Joel.” Closing her eyes, Ellie tried to drift into a small nap.

Moving was never easy for her and Joel. Living in two different cities and states in five years was tiresome for the duo. Joel worked in architecture, and that required them to move around. Joel had adopted Ellie when she was just 14 years old.

Ellie was in a foster home in Boston, Massachusetts. The home arranged for their kids to work with professionals from different careers, and Ellie chose to work with builders, and that's where she met Joel. Joel did not want to be around kids while he worked since his job required 100% concentration and focus, but surprisingly, these kids were on their best behavior. He was open to showing them how he comes up with ideas and what comes after his big plans. Some of the kids were very intent on learning, except for one. Ellie stood out of the five kids who wanted to work with the pros. When Joel or one of his coworkers would ask questions, Ellie would respond sarcastically or give the most lip and curse like a construction worker. Once it was time for a lunch break, the kids went their separate ways. Ellie grabbed her lunch and stayed behind and walked up to Joel,

_ “Hey Joel, wanna hear a joke?” Ellie asked the older man. _

_ “Let’s hear it.” Joel leaned back on his chair and looked at the girl in front of him. _

_ “Who did Noah hire to build his boat?” _

_ “Who?” Joel asked, going along with her joke. _

_ With a shit-eating grin, Ellie replied, “An Ark-itect, of course.” _

With a shake of his head and a soft laugh coming from the older man, Joel invited Ellie to sit and have lunch with him. After lunch and teaching the kids about engineers and architects working together to create beautiful buildings, homes, and other structures, Joel spoke to the house parent and decided he wanted to adopt Ellie. Fourteen months later, Joel got to call Ellie his daughter.

Ellie was thrilled; Joel was a very nice guy and treated her like an adult and not a child like she had witnessed with other kids at the foster home. Sure he had his moments of being a sarcastic asshole, but he always made up for it. On Ellie’s 15th birthday, Joel got her a guitar and taught her how to play. On Ellie’s 16th birthday, he took her to a museum and took her for a tour behind the scenes of the establishment. He had special access since he helped design some of the features and designs in the attractions. Her favorite parts were the dinosaur and space exhibits. Ellie was a bit of a science nerd, and Joel loved that about her.

After living in Boston for two and a half years, Joel’s job sent them to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he had a job to design and create a new apartment complex for the downtown area. Ellie transferred to a new high school. She wasn’t good at making friends or getting along with people. Ellie would go to school, come home and then practice guitar or read her comic books. On weekends, she would go to the downtown area, bring her sketchbook with her, and draw whatever caught her eye. Whether it was people, animals, or buildings, she drew it. She would sometimes visit Joel at work and have lunch with him. That was her favorite part, for a seemingly shy and grumpy man, Joel sure was talkative with Ellie. After a year, Joel’s project finally finished. Tommy, his brother, called him and invited him to come to Jackson, Wyoming.

_ “Wyoming? The fuck is in Wyoming?” Ellie asked after Joel gave her the news. _

_ “Well, besides my brother, there is Yellowstone National Park. Plus, there’s a lot to do up there!” Joel said back. _

_ “Ah yes, Yellowstone, where there is a supervolcano overdue to erupt, sounds pretty fucking perfect.” Ellie sarcastically replied. _

_ Joel laughed, “That volcano has not erupted in the last 600,000 years; it won’t any time soon, baby girl.” _

_ “You don’t know that, as soon as we get there, that shit could erupt.” Joel looked at Ellie sternly, “Fine, but only because I haven’t seen Uncle Tommy and Aunt Maria in 3 years.” Joel smiled and messed up Ellie’s hair. _

_ “Let’s get packing, kiddo.” _

That’s where they were now. Ellie shifted in the front seat and saw the snowy mountains of Jackson. 

“I take it we are here?” Ellie asked groggily.

“Yes, ma’am, I was just about to wake you. We should be at the house in the next 10 minutes.”

Ellie stretched in her seat and as far back as she could. She had gotten much taller from when she was 14. She grew at least 5 inches since then. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, fixed her hair as best as possible, and adjusted her seat. They pulled onto the street where their new house was. Outside, Tommy and Maria stood holding a sign that read, “Welcome Home!”

“I know we haven’t seen them in a few years, but is the whole Miller side of the family this dorky?.” Ellie laughed at her family.

“This coming from the comic book reading and collecting, space nerd.” Joel joked. He turned off the car, “You ready, Ellie?”

“Yeah, it’s going to be nice to see people other than your scruffy face every day, but I’m also starving and exhausted. Why is Jackson so far.” Ellie pouted while Joel laughed at the grouchy teen.

Joel popped the trunk open and helped Ellie grab her bag out of the car. Once the girl was out, Maria and Tommy placed their sign on the snow-covered lawn and walked up to greet the recently arrived duo. They both gave Joel a big hug, and when they saw Ellie, they had to stop and double-take at her before doing the same.

“Damn El, how tall have you gotten? When I last saw you, you were up to here on me,” Tommy held his hand just below his shoulder, “You’ve gotten much more mature. How you holding up, kid? Fighting off boys and girls left and right?” Tommy questioned.

“Just girls, Uncle Tommy.” Ellie joked, “I know it has been like four years since I’ve last seen you guys. I think I only matured because living with this one,” She points at Joel, “Man, can he remove years of life from the stress when he's working on a project.” Ellie smirked, “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good, keeping the farm busy and alive. Maria has been keeping the town safe. She got promoted to Sheriff and man, is she killing it. We both have been so excited to see you guys. I know it’s been a while, but I’m really glad y’all got here in one piece. We’re sorry we couldn’t head out east more often, but y’know with the farm and all.”

Ellie watched as Maria walked back towards her, “My favorite niece! You’ve grown so much! How are you feeling? How was the trip?”

“Your only niece,” Maria snorted, “I’m okay, I’m exhausted and hungry. The trip was great except for the part where we had to sleep on shitty motel beds and listen to Joel’s crappy country music, but Joel and I played the license plate game and the alphabet game while we made our way here. He’s good at those things, and I’m impressed.” Ellie smiled warmly at the older woman.

While Joel was talking to his brother and sister-in-law, Ellie scoped out the neighborhood around them. She took a good hard look at her new home. It was nicer than the other houses they had lived in. Boston was small, Pittsburgh was smaller, but this, this felt like a mansion. It was a decently sized two-story home with a wooden porch with a small step and a wooden fence around it. It reminded Ellie of some of the houses from one of the western movies she and Joel would watch all the time in Boston. She looked at the houses on the street as well. They looked similar in design but with a mixture of single and two-story homes. Lost in her concentration, Ellie didn’t notice Maria was calling her.

“Ellie?” The younger girl looked over, “Some of the neighbors had come by earlier in the week. A few of them have kids around your age, and I asked if it would be okay if one of them could give you a tour around the town once you were settled. Would you be okay with that?”

Ellie wasn’t sure how to respond. Maria knew Ellie wasn’t good with people, but it’s a new town. Maybe she should try new things and change up her personality a bit, “Sure, I will let you know when I’m free once we’ve settled in.”

“Sure thing. Now come on, let’s get your things into the house before it snows.” Maria walked to the car and started grabbing some suitcases from the trunk.

Once they got into the house, they noticed the moving truck had beat them to the house. Tommy and Maria had unpacked the car and brought the boxes into the house and put out some of their furniture, such as tables, chairs, beds, and the sofa. While Ellie and Joel brought the last of their belongings in, Maria and Tommy cooked up a delicious home-cooked meal, and Ellie was drooling at the smell. Once they finished eating, Maria and Tommy left Joel and Ellie to rest up for their next day in their brand new home.

-

Ellie had started to fall asleep, but then the whistling of the blowing wind woke her up. She decided to go have a seat out on the porch and get a better view of her new neighborhood right in front of her. Ellie wasn’t dressed for the cold, freezing air. She was in a baseball tee, sweatpants, and warm slippers Joel had gotten her for Christmas last year. She grabbed her phone from the floor, and then reached for her sketchbook sitting on a desk and sat on the loveseat next to the front door. Being from New England, Ellie was used to the cold, but the crisp Wyoming air took the girl by surprise. She looked around her surroundings for some inspiration, and then her pencil glided along with the paper carefully. Pictures of snow-clad mountains and pine trees filled the page along with a starry sky and big moon. She pulled out her phone to check the time, and it was nearly 2 in the morning. She shrugged then continued to look over her sketchbook until she heard someone clear their throat and Ellie jumped in her seat, 

“Holy shit. Who the fuck do you think you are sneaking up like that?” Ellie asked the figure in front of her, placing her hand on her chest, trying to calm herself down.

“Me? I’m Dina, My bad. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought I’d come by and introduce myself.” 

“At two in the god damn morning?” Ellie sarcastically replied.

“I was on my way home from a bonfire. I live just down the street,” the girl points to a white house about three doors down, “so...yeah, I’m sorry for startling you…,” waiting for a name to be given.

Ellie looked at the girl in front of her. She was maybe 2 inches shorter than Ellie. Dina was wearing a beige jacket with a maroon turtleneck seeping over the collar. She wore tight blue jeans that curved perfectly to her figure and snow boots. Her dark hair was thrown into a ponytail, and she had loose strands of hair lazily frame her face. 

Ellie placed her sketchbook down on the loveseat, got off the cushion, walked over to the shorter girl, and held her hand out, “I’m Ellie. Just moved in today with my dad Joel.”

As Dina went to take Ellie’s hand in her own, she noticed a tattoo along Ellie’s right forearm. It was a moth on top with two fern leaf branches. She felt Ellie’s gaze on her, and she smiled and took her hand in her own.

The taller girl looked at Dina a bit more intently. She had a splash of dark freckles across her face, her nose was long, and her eyes were so dark they almost looked black.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ellie.” Dina looked down at the ground with her hands in her pocket, kicking a small pebble around, “So, where did you move here from, and why are you up at this hour?”

“We moved here from Boston...well Pittsburgh actually. We’re originally from Boston but then moved to Pittsburgh.” Ellie shrugged, “I didn’t really get a chance to sleep. The wind woke me up, and then all of a sudden, I’m out here taking in the scenic view.”

“Yeah, I get that, the snowy weather sucked for me too. After a few weeks, you’ll get used to it. I moved here from New Mexico, so I am a big fan of heat, but now, I can’t picture being anywhere but here. Jackson is my home now. We were having some family issues in Albuquerque, and we picked up and came here..”

“Sorry to hear your family stuff. I know all about that; I was adopted five years ago by Joel. Honestly, I think it was the best thing to ever happen to me.” Ellie looked at the girl who still had her hands in her pocket, “Hey, if you’re cold, I don’t want to keep you, plus its kind of late.”

Dina shook her head, “No, I’m okay. The cold no longer affects me.” Dina looked up at Ellie, “I think I’m still pretty warm from the bonfire we had. Maybe you could come to the next one if you’d want? We tend to do one every Saturday, so if you’re not busy, I could introduce you to everyone.” 

Ellie thought long and hard about it, “That sounds cool. I’d like to experience new things. We never really got to do that sort of stuff in Pittsburgh or New England.”

“Stick with me, and you’ll get the hang of midwestern culture soon.” Dina winked. “Also, I remember your Aunt saying something about giving you a tour. Would you like me to give you one tomorrow?”

“That sounds good. I think I should be free after noon. I wanna make sure Joel is good with the house before I do anything,” Dina shook her head in agreement. 

“Works for me,” Dina eyed the taller girls sketchbook, “Can I borrow a piece of paper and your pen?” Ellie grabbed her sketchbook and tore out a blank page, and handed her pen to Dina. She watched as Dina wrote a note with her tongue poking out the side of her mouth, focused on what she was writing. “Here you go, it’s my number.”

Ellie took the paper and pen back from her and read the note aloud, “Please text me when you get home safe.” Ellie laughed, “Really? I’m on the porch of my own house.”

Dina giggled, “Yeah! A lot can happen in the two seconds it takes to get from this step to your front door. You could possibly slip and fall, you could get locked out or even worse, end up with frostbite.” 

“Well, that’s why I can just come to your house if that ever happens,” Ellie jabbed back as Dina tilted her head back and laughed. “You’re unbelievable, but yes, I will text you when I get home safe and sound.” Ellie snorted.

“Good. I look forward to hearing from you, Ellie.” 

“Yeah, yeah. You better get home too, Dina.” 

Dina smiled at the girl, “I will, but I’m serious, text me as SOON as you get through those doors.”

“Yes, mom, get home safe,” Ellie joked. As soon as Dina was out of her sight, she texted the number, 

_ Ellie: I’m home safe and sound -_- _

Almost immediately, her phone buzzed.

_ Dina: Thank GOD! I was SO worried about you.  _

Ellie laughed at the girl feigning worry, her phone buzzed again,

_ Dina: Make sure you get some sleep. Goodnight, El. I’ll see you tomorrow. _

_ Ellie: Goodnight, Dina. Tomorrow. _

With that last message, Ellie put her phone in her pocket and walked inside her house. She went back into her bedroom and pulled out her sketchbook. She decided to add to her drawing, Dina standing on a sidewalk with the brightest smile as she tilts her head towards the night sky. Ellie placed her sketchbook on the box next to her bed and sighed contently until waves of sleep washed over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I haven't written in a VERY long time. Let me know what you think! Thanks for checking this out!


	2. The Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dina takes Ellie on the tour of Jackson

The sunlight peeking through the closed blinds next to Ellie’s bed woke her up. Ellie heard the sound of muffled voices coming from downstairs, so she opened her eyes and was slightly blinded from the natural light. Quickly snapping her eyes shut, she stretched her arms over her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before crawling out of bed. The aroma of pancakes and bacon cooking filled up her senses, and Ellie decided to get ready for the day ahead of her. She jumped into a shower, brushed her teeth, and got dressed. She threw on a pair of black skinny jeans with rips at the knee caps, a light blue flannel with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and threw her hair up in a bun with some shorter strands framing her face. Once she descended down the stairs, the voices became audible.

“Mornin’, kiddo.” Ellie watched as Joel tilted his back and craned his neck out to see her coming down the stairs. He was dressed in a grey long sleeve button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, jeans, and his regular work boots. Ellie and Joel sure had similar tastes in their clothing. 

“Morning, breakfast smells good. I think I’m hungrier than I thought,” Ellie looked over at the counter where there was a stack of pancakes with her name all over them. She walked to the kitchen to grab some until Joel swatted her hand away. “Sorry, sorry. Maria and Tommy here?”

“Yes, they’re in the dining room setting places.” Joel nodded his head in their direction as if he was asking Ellie to help them out. “They brought over some ingredients from the store, and I asked them to stay for a bit. Why don’t you go see if they need help finding anything.”

“Sure thing, let me know if you need any help, old man.” Joel laughed at the nickname and resumed cooking up breakfast. Ellie walked into the dining room to greet the rest of her family. “Good morning guys, thanks for bringing us some food.”

“Oh, don’t mention it at all. We are more than happy to help. We figured after a long journey here, that is the least we could do.” Maria smiled at the younger girl, “Did you sleep okay, Ellie?”

“I slept for maybe 3 hours until the wind woke me up. I went out of the porch for about an hour and decided to sketch in my book. I didn’t know what to expect, but the scenery here is an excellent inspiration.” Ellie continued, “I also met one of the neighbors during that time.”

“Which one?” Maria questioned.

“Dina, she mentioned she lives down the block. We talked for a bit; then, she offered to show me around Jackson later today.” Ellie smiles as she thinks back to the events of last night.

“Ah, yes, Dina. She’s Deputy Talia’s little sister. She used to be a troublemaker when she first got here, but once her sister became a Deputy, she settled down just fine.”

“What kind of trouble?” Joel asked as he was bringing in breakfast.

“Just typical teen stuff, underage drinking, breaking curfew, and truancy, but she got her act together, and she’s one of the best girls here in the neighborhood,” Maria exclaimed.

“Is it okay if I go out with her later, Joel?” Ellie looked over to Joel, “I know we have a lot to unpack, but I figured if we can bang a good portion out today, I can finish the rest tomorrow.”

“I’m okay with that. I do have to head into town with Tommy to pick up some things from the home improvement store. Is there anything you could think of that you’d need?”

Ellie was too tired to think, “Maybe blackout curtains for now, but I’ll call if I think of anything.”

-

Once they finished breakfast, Ellie and Maria cleaned off the table and did the dishes while Tommy helped Joel unpack some furniture and other belongings. Once she finished the dishes, Ellie started to unpack her room. She set up a corner for her art, another corner for her desk, and then right next to her bed was her guitar. She walked over to her bed and took a seat as she situated the guitar on her lap. She plucked some strings, tuning her guitar, and eventually, soothing music filled the room. As the song finished, Ellie placed her guitar down and checked her phone. It was nearly 11:45 AM. She continued unpacking before her phone went off.

_ Dina: Hey. _

Ellie smiled at the short but straightforward text, her fingers tapped the screen,

_ Ellie: Hey, to you too. _

_ Dina: What are you doing right now? _

_ Ellie: Finishing unpacking my room. What’s up? _

_ Dina: Just checking. See you soon. _

With that message, Ellie heard the doorbell ring. She grabbed her green army jacket from her closet and walked downstairs. Joel had gotten the door before Ellie could even get there.

“You must be Dina.” Joel greeted the shorter girl at the door.

“Yes, sir, in the flesh. Welcome to the neighborhood. My sister Talia and I made these for you.” Dina was holding a glass tray of brownies and chocolate chip cookies, which Joel gladly accepted. “Made them first thing this morning.”

“Thank you very much. My name’s Joel.” The bearded man held his hand out for the girl to take, which she gladly accepted.

“Hey, Dina.” Ellie looked over Joel’s shoulder to greet the girl. “Thanks for the dessert.”

“It’s not a problem. You ready to head out, El?” Ellie looked at the girl in front of her. Her hair was in a bun, and she was wearing the same beige jacket from the night prior. This time she wore the coat with a burgundy and black plaid button-up underneath it and black jeans that were perfect along Dina’s slender but toned body.

“Yeah, give me a second to get ready.” She threw her jacket on and a pair of boots. She hugged Joel before stepping into the cold Wyoming air.

“It’s pretty cold out today. You sure that jacket is warm enough?” Dina pointed at the taller girl's light jacket as they walked side by side down the street. 

“I’ve got layers on underneath. This jacket does just fine on its own.” Dina laughed as Ellie patted the front of her jacket.

“Whatever you say, Ellie.” Dina looked up at the girl and smiled, “So where did you want to head first? There’s Main Street which has it all. There’s this nice cafe which is very vintage and adorable. I tend to spend a lot of time there, considering I work there.” Dina laughed, then continued, “Then there’s the music shop, I’m pretty sure they sell vinyls from probably every century known to man. I know they sell things for instruments too. My personal favorite is the bookshop, which for some reason, I think you’d like.”

Ellie’s scarred eyebrow raised in curiosity, “Oh yeah? Do I strike you as a reading type?”

Dina stopped in her place and took a moment to study Ellie’s face. Ellie was giving off a bunch of mixed signals that Dina couldn’t tell if Ellie was about to hate her answer or be shocked at the guess.“Yes and no. There’s something mysterious about you. Like you look like you can kill someone, no offense. I think it’s your stance or maybe the scar on your eyebrow.” Dina smiled as she poked at the taller girl’s eyebrow, “But you know what I think?”

Ellie stared at the girl in front of her, a small smirk forming on her lips, “What’s that?”

Dina stood closer to Ellie, leaning in, “I think in reality, you’re just a nerd who probably spends way too much time reading comic books and romance novels.” Ellie let a small smile form on her lips.

Leaning in closer, Ellie stated, “You’re wrong about one of those things…” The smaller girl gulped as Ellie’s lips brushed against the stray hairs over her ear,“...I haven’t killed anyone.” Ellie extended a finger and booped Dina’s nose before standing up straight, “Let’s check out the music shop.”

Dina stared at Ellie, confused as she continued to walk down the road alone. She shook her head and followed suit until she caught up to the taller girl. “Sure, it’s just this way. What type of music are you into?”

Ellie opened her phone and showed Dina her Spotify app. “I listen to pretty much anything. I just can’t stand country music.”

“Me neither. How about instruments...you play any?” Dina wondered.

“Guitar. Joel got me an acoustic guitar for my 15th birthday, and since then, I’ve been playing. Took me a few tries at first, but then I got the hang of it. How about you?”

“I’m not much of a musician. Does singing in the shower count?” Ellie snorted at her.

“I don’t think so, but I’ll let it count. What interests you? Like what do you like to do?”

“I like reading, but I also really like photography. I got my first professional camera at my bat mitzvah. The first picture I’ve ever taken was a giraffe at the zoo. As I got older, I upgraded my camera and got better lenses and changed my style. I’ve taken pictures of all my friends in some shape or another. They like it when I take portraits of them. They say it looks very professional. Jesse said I’d make a killing if I sold some of my landscape pieces online.”

“If your friends say you’re that good, you must be pretty amazing. I’d like to see them one day. Especially the giraffe one.” 

“I will let you see my first picture ever, only if you let me hear you play guitar.” Dina winked, causing Ellie to sigh and roll her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe one day.” Ellie smiled at the girl’s puppy eyes.

As the day went on further, Ellie learned that Dina was great with kids. They got into an impromptu snowball fight with the local kids while passing a park. Of course, they kicked the kid’s ass, resulting in the kids tackling Dina to the ground. Ellie helped her off the ground, and they stopped at Jackson Cafe, where Dina worked. They grabbed a seat in the corner, and Dina hopped behind the counter to grab hot chocolate for then of them. The girls had a shared disinterest in coffee. Ellie told Dina all about Joel’s obsession with the beans. She laughed when Dina said, “I never got it...it tastes like...burnt shit.” 

As they sat drinking their hot beverage, Dina watched as Ellie would take small sips and wipe the whipped cream from her upper lip. “Too hot for you?”

“Just trying not to obliterate the roof of my mouth,” Ellie said, taking another careful sip. “This is probably the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you; it’s one of our best sellers. I make it with love.” The girl winked at Ellie. “Is there anywhere else you’d like to tour?”

“Not that I can think of. We got a lot done today, and I know Joel probably wants me home soon. We still gotta finish settling in.”

“Of course, that’s not a problem. Maybe once the weather warms up, we can take a walk on the hiking trails. Plenty of wildlife you city folk haven’t seen.” Dina starts to get up from the table and holds her hand out for Ellie.

Ellie grabs her hand and gets up, “Thanks. That sounds pretty awesome, actually. We don't have many trails to hike on the East Coast. I think I’m going to like it here.”

“Trust me, you will.” Ellie held the cafe door open for Dina to walk through, and Dina gave her a sweet smile.

-

As the girls walked back to their neighborhood in comfortable silence, it started to snow slightly. Dina stopped and pulled out her phone. “Wait…” Ellie stopped dead in her tracks, “Let’s take a picture to remember your first day as a Jackson resident.”

Ellie tried protesting but ultimately gave in. Dina was hard to resist. Ellie unwillingly looked at the phone and scrunched her face at Dina for dragging her into this picture. Ellie’s cheeks were flushed red from the cold; her nose had a slight tint of pink, and her eyes were piercing green against the white of the snow. Dina had snowflakes on her hair, and she had one sitting on the corner of her left eyelash. Once the picture was captured, Dina put her phone away. They stopped in front of Ellie’s house.

“Make sure you text me once you’re home.”

“Seriously? Again with that?” Ellie huffed, causing Dina to snort.

“Nah, I’m just fucking with you. I had a nice day today, Ellie.”

“Me too. Thank you for showing me around. It really means a lot.” Dina smiled at the taller girl then stood on her toes to kiss Ellie’s cheek. Ellie froze in her spot,

“See you around, El.” Dina turned around and started making her way home, not before turning around and giving Ellie a small wave.

-

Once Dina was out of sight, Ellie walked back into her house. She noticed Joel was still out, so she headed to her room. She pulled out her sketchbook and began to draw Dina during the snowball fight. She smiled, thinking about Dina trying so hard not to curse in front of the kids.

_ The girls were walking to the cafe after looking around the bookstore. As they walked past a park filled with a bunch of children having a snowball fight, one of the balls flew right at Ellie, pelting her on the shoulder. _

_ “Ow!” Ellie started wiping the snow off her jacket. _

_ “What the FUCK?” Dina exclaimed to the young boy. _

_ “I’m not even playing!” Ellie joked with the boy. _

_ “Why? Cause you’re a chicken?” The boy folded his arms and started clucking. _

_ “You wanna fuck him up?” Dina whispered after Ellie watched this young boy mock her. _

_ “Yeah, I do.” Ellie hopped over the small park fence following Dina. _

_ “You asked for it!” Dina threatened, holding her hands over her head. She bent down and built a snowball in record time and pelted it at the boy who threw the first shot. _

_ “You better run, you little shits!” Ellie yelled out before the kids fled the area, trying to hide from the two older girls. _

_ Ellie and Dina managed to dodge snowballs left and right, throwing insults at the kids. _

_ “I’m coming for you, tiny!” Dina yelled as one of the kids managed to duck under a jungle gym. _

_ Ellie continued to get hit by snowballs left and right, “Ow!” she was pretty sure that one had some ice in it. _

_ She looked over at Dina, who expertly threw a ball at a little girl “Fuck yeah! I mean frick...don’t tell your mom.” Ellie couldn’t help but laugh at her. “Eat snow, you little shit.” Dina threw the last ball before the kids yelled mercy.  _

_ “No fair!” One of the kids exclaimed. _

_ “Eat it, shrimps!” Dina yelled, satisfied at their win. _

_ “Hey!” The group of kids start rushing at her. _

_ “How does it feel?” Dina triumphed before getting tackled to the ground. “Help me! You’ll never get away with this!” Dina joked around with the kids. _

_ Ellie walked over the girl on the ground and helped her up. “Get off of her, you monsters!’ Ellie teased. Once Dina was up, Ellie helped brush some snow off of the back of her jacket. _

_ “Guess I asked for that, huh?” Dina laughed, knocking off the remaining snow. _

_ “Yep!” Ellie said before taking off to the cafe. _

Ellie was adding the finishing touches to her sketch when her phone buzzed. She opened the message.

_ Dina: 1 image attachment _

_ Dina: I had fun today. Thanks for helping me kick those kids’ asses. I’ll see you later. _

Ellie typed out a quick reply.

_ Ellie: I did too. Thank you again for the tour. Have a good night. _

With that last message, Ellie opened up the image Dina sent. It was the selfie they took together outside of Ellie’s house. She smiled at the picture, Dina’s cheeks a bit rosy from the cold, her own face scrunched in annoyance, but Ellie was happy. She pressed the image, saved it to her phone, and reminded herself to print that picture out and place it on her room’s corkboard. She touched her cheek where Dina had kissed; she’s really going to like Jackson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just HAD to include the snowball fight scene. That was one of my favorite Ellie/Dina scenes.
> 
> ALSO: My schedule could be either Sunday/Wednesday or one of those two days.


	3. Cafe Hangs

Three weeks had passed, and Ellie and Joel had finally finished unpacking and completely settled into their new home. Joel had meetings left and right with different contractors looking for the right architect to lead their projects. Ellie, on the other hand, was hanging out more and more with Dina. They were fast friends, and Joel was thankful Ellie wouldn’t be alone. On days Dina worked, Ellie would hole herself in her room, practicing guitar or even painting.

A week ago, Dina invited Ellie to visit her at the cafe. That’s what Ellie continued to do as days went on. She would go to the cafe with a book in hand, just in case Dina was busy. That was usually the case if Dina had a morning or afternoon shift. As Ellie got dressed, she thought back to the first time she visited.

-

_ Sitting at the canvas in the corner of the room, Ellie was in the middle of painting a portrait of the mountains just outside of town. She took a quick break to check if she had any missed calls from Joel. When she painted, Ellie tuned out the entire world. There was a message not from Joel but Dina. _

_ Dina: Hey, I’m bored. Wanna come hang at the cafe while I finish my shift? _

_ Ellie thought about it. She didn’t want to interfere with Dina’s money or get the girl in trouble. She tapped her keyboard, _

_ Ellie: Are you busy? I don’t want to get you in trouble. _

_ Dina: Not at all. The place is dead. Our last customer came in over 40 minutes ago. _

_ Dina: So get your ass here _

_ Dina: Please. _

_ Ellie smiled at the last text. Dina always tried to be threatening, but she couldn’t hold the act for long. The cafe wasn’t very far from the neighborhood, maybe a good 5-minute walk. She threw her boots on and grabbed her jacket and walked out the door instantly. It was a chilly night with an occasional snowflake falling here and there. When Ellie got to the shop, the warmth hit her almost immediately. She wasn’t sure if it was from the establishment or the girl she spotted from the window behind the counter. She opened the door to the shop, and the door jingled as she walked in, _

_ “Welcome to Jackson Caf…” Dina looked up from wiping the counter down as Ellie had entered, “Oh, it’s just you.” _

_ Ellie threw her hand to her chest in feign shock, “That’s no way to greet a customer. I’d like to speak to your manager.” She sat at the counter right where the dark-haired girl had finished cleaning, taking her jacket off and wrapping it around the stool’s back. _

_ Dina rolled her eyes at the taller girl, “Okay, Karen.” Dina turned around and faced the counter of different flavored syrups and sugars. Next to the syrups were stacks of coffee mugs; Dina grabbed two and began to fill them with her signature hot chocolate. She added whipped cream and placed the cups on the counter. Ellie reached for her wallet to pay, but the shorter girl stopped her, “On the house for my favorite customer.” _

_ “Are you sure?” Dina nodded her head, “Thanks, but here,” Ellie took a $5 bill out and placed it in the tip jar, “Is work always like this?” _

_ “Only around this hour, we close in about an hour and 15 minutes.” Dina walked over from behind the counter and sat at the stool next to Ellie, “People are home with their families, and you know, coffee isn’t a dinner drink.” _

_ “Thank fuck for that.” Ellie lifted her mug and clinked it to Dina’s before taking a sip. Dina put her cup down first, not noticing the whipped cream on her nose. “Hey...you got a little something…” Ellie pointed to her nose. _

_ Dina’s face flushed in embarrassment before taking a napkin and wiping it off. “Thanks, El. Just so you know, you can come visit me anytime when I’m here. You can bring your sketchbook or whatever novel you’re currently reading and just hang out.”  _

_ Ellie smiled as she watched Dina tucked her stray hairs behind her ear, “I would like that.” _

-

Since that day, watching Dina do her thing behind the counter was a new favorite pastime. Ellie personally wouldn’t consider herself a person, but watching how the dark-haired girl interacted with each customer made her stomach flip, especially when Dina would throw her head back in laughter. Ellie got to the cafe, took her jacket off, and walked to the corner table. she pulled out her novel and waited for Dina to finish her shift. Usually, after Dina’s shift, they would grab a bite to eat or just go for a short walk around town.

Thirty minutes had passed, and Ellie was heavily invested with the book in front of her. She would take occasional glances at the dark-haired girl and watch as she would run back and forth between the customers and the counter. Once the rush had passed a bit, Dina had noticed Ellie sitting and reading her novel. She walked behind the counter, grabbing a to-go cup of hot chocolate and a chocolate chip muffin. Dina walked over to Ellie and placed it on the table. She watched as Ellie looked up from her book.

“There’s extra whipped cream for you.” Dina winked as Ellie stuck a napkin on the page to use as a bookmark.

“You’re the best.” Ellie pulled out her wallet, placing a $10 bill on the table. The shorter girl shook her head at her. Dina refused to let Ellie pay, but she always insisted on leaving a tip for her.

“El, you don’t have to do that, y’know.” Dina pushed the money back to her. Ellie grabbed the bill back, folded it neatly, and shoved it in Dina’s apron pocket. Dina rolled her eyes at the action, “Hey, what are you doing later?”

“Not sure, but there’s this really annoying girl who probably wants me to hang out with her.” 

“Fuck you.” Ellie laughed as Dina tried to lower her voice to not attract attention from other patrons, “Did you want to come over and watch one of your lame 80’s movies?.

“Screw you. They’re not lame.” Ellie huffed, “It sure seems like you could probably use an education in quality films.”

“Oh, really?” Dina responded. She took the menu off of Ellie’s table and placed it behind her left hand, blocking the sight of her middle finger as she flipped off the taller girl. Ellie smirked and pretended to grab the gesture and place it in her pocket. “I’m going back to work. I’ll be off soon.”

“I’ll be waiting. Thanks again for the hot chocolate.” Ellie smiled at the girl one last time before Dina walked back behind the counter, glancing and smirking at the taller girl.

-

Once an hour had passed, Ellie put her book back in her bag as she noticed Dina untying her waist apron, folding it, and placing it into the cabinet behind the counter. She got up and stretched her arms and back, having been seated at the table for so long. She threw her jacket on and started to make her way to the cafe’s door.

“You ready to go, El?” Ellie nodded at the shorter girl as she was getting her own jacket on, “I just want to run by the store to grab a few things before we head back to my place.”

“Okay, but you’re not paying, I got it.” Dina opened her mouth to stop Ellie, “You won’t let me pay for my drinks, and you roll your eyes when I tip you, so I got it.”

Dina sighed; she wasn’t going to put up a fight with Ellie. “Okay. Can we get Twizzlers, at least?”

“Whatever you want, Dina. I’ll take care of it.” Dina smiled up at the girl before exiting into the cold air.

As they walked around the corner, Dina ran into a familiar face. “Dina, hey.” A deep voice came from a tall man, and his dark hair was shoulder length. He was wearing a green jacket with a brown hoodie underneath. “What are you up to?”

“Hey, Jesse. We’re heading over to my place to watch a movie.” Jesse stared between the two girls, “Oh right, Jesse, this is Ellie; she moved to Jackson a few weeks ago. We’re pretty much neighbors.”

He lifted a bushy eyebrow towards Dina, then looked back at Ellie, “Nice to meet you, Ellie. Where did you move from?” He held his hand out for Ellie.

Ellie grabbed it, “Nice to meet you too. I’m originally from Boston but moved to Pittsburgh.”

“Nice, nice. Wait, is your old man the architect by any chance?”

“Yeah, why?” Ellie asked, shoving her hands in her jacket pocket

“He’s my new boss. I work over at the construction site just down that way,” He points to the left at a big plot of land with stacks of wood and steel beams. “I’m on lunch break, so I’ll let you ladies get back to it. Will I be seeing you guys at the bonfire, Saturday?” 

“Hell yeah!” Dina exclaimed, “We will be there.”

“Nice, alright, I’ll see you guys around.” Jesse turned towards his work site, not before waving at the two girls.

“He seems nice.”

“He is nice, but he can be a little too much.” Dina walked over to a bench on the block’s corner, sitting down, she motioned Ellie to sit, “Can you believe I dated him for like three years?”

Walking to the sitting girl, Ellie’s eyebrows shot up at the revelation, “Shut up, you did not.” 

“We were in high school. He was the first guy I met when I moved here, and things just clicked but then, I think I fell out of love with him. I couldn’t stand being around him; it felt kind of suffocating, so I broke up with him.” Dina shrugged.

“I’m sorry about that. The suffocating part, at least.”

“It’s okay; we decided that we’re better as friends than in a relationship. On the plus side, I’m a free woman now.” Dina winked. “How about you? Anyone back home?”

“No.” Ellie looked down at her feet, “There were two girls, Riley and Cat. Riley was my first kiss ever. We were best friends, and on my birthday, she convinced me to sneak out of the foster home with her, so we ended up at the local mall. We walked around laughing and just having the time of our lives. We went to an arcade, and it was really incredible. When Riley told me she was getting adopted, I felt like I was losing everything. I told her I didn’t want her to leave and asked her to stay as if she had a choice; then, all of a sudden, she kissed me. After that, we got back to the house, and not even a day later, she and her new family packed up and moved to god knows where. I haven’t seen her or heard from her in 5 years.” 

“I’m sorry, El. If you had a chance, would you want to know where she ended up?” Dina asked, placing a comforting hand on top of Ellies.

“Honestly, no. Things happen for a reason, y’know? My last relationship was with Cat back in Pittsburgh. Before we dated, she gave me this,” Ellie lifted her sleeve, revealing the tattoo on her forearm. “The moth symbolizes tremendous changes, but it also is looking for the light. I need to trust the changes happening around me, and things will be okay. The fern leaves symbolize new beginnings. Which is what Pittsburgh was for me. Cat and I dated for maybe seven months after she gave me the tattoo, but I had to end it. Things weren’t working out, and Joel’s job luckily had us move out here.”

“What happened between you guys? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Ellie sighed. She wasn’t planning on talking about her past relationships. Dina felt so easy to talk to, that as soon as she opened her mouth, everything came out,

“One minute everything was absolutely perfect, but then the next she was avoiding me for days on end. Every time I’d try to communicate with her, she would flip out on me. Joel always told me communication was key, but I guess it is when it goes both ways.” Dina looked at the girl with sad eyes before the auburn-haired girl continued, “When I would ask her what’s wrong, she’d always run away. Each day she’d avoid me, I would feel so disconnected. I tried giving her time to come to me, and I never pressured her into talking. I always told her I’d be there when she was ready, but that day never came. She just kept pushing me out, and eventually, we broke up. I spent weeks crying about it, and Sam, one of my friends from high school, came over and comforted me as best as possible. Cat was the first person I loved, and she hurt me really bad. Sometimes it still hurts, but I’m healing and getting better every day. Sam convinced me to write a song about the break up right before Joel, and I packed up, just to get closure from the whole thing. Pittsburgh is over and done with, and I’m ready to start my new life here in Jackson.”

Dina gave Ellie a sad smile, “I’m sorry, El. I had no idea you were going through that when you first came here. If I’m being honest, I’m glad you guys aren’t together anymore. You deserve to be happy and be with someone who will give you the love and respect you deserve. Fuck Cat.”

Ellie let out a small laugh, “Fuck Cat.” The auburn-haired girl wiped a small tear forming in her eye away, “Who would have thought I’d be friends with the world's biggest sap?”

“Shut up, asshole.” Dina gave Ellie’s arm a gentle shove, “ Thank you for opening up to me, El. That meant a lot to me, and I will always be here for you no matter what, okay?” Dina placed her hand on Ellie’s arm, giving her a sweet smile as Ellie nodded her head. “Come, let’s go grab our snacks so we can watch your lame movie.”

-

Ellie’s been to Dina’s house only a handful of times. It was the same layout as Ellie’s house, just mirrored. It smelled of fresh linen and warm vanilla. Dina took Ellie by the hand and dragged her upstairs to the den, where Dina’s family kept the TV and sofas. As soon as Ellie’s back hit the couch, her whole body relaxed. Dina grabbed the remote and threw it towards Ellie,

“What are we watching?”

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off...it’s a classic. This high schooler pretends to be sick so he can skip school, but it just gets out of hand. It’s pretty funny.”

“We’ll see about that.” Dina laughed as Ellie rolled her eyes. “Let me grab some waters for us, and then I’ll be ready.” She ran downstairs, and in record time, she was back on the couch next to Ellie. “Ready!” She said as she passed a water bottle to the taller girl. 

Ellie dug through the bag of snacks and settled on the popcorn and placed it between her and Dina’s thighs. Dina started munching on the Twizzler’s she was craving and offered some to Ellie. As she watched the movie, Ellie would occasionally glance over at the dark-haired girl to make sure she was actually watching. Dina felt Ellie’s gaze on her, so she started to do the same. She would glance at the screen then back at Ellie until they finally locked eyes. Dina watched as Ellie’s cheeks turned red, and she averted her gaze, focusing back on the movie.

“I know you’re watching me more than the movie. Can I help you with something?” Dina sarcastically asked, smirking when Ellie’s eyebrows shot up.

“Just checking to make sure you’re watching...sorry.” Ellie adjusted the collar on her shirt, trying to cool herself off.

“Are you, though?” Dina teased, poking Ellie in the ribs.

“Yea..yeah.” Ellie watched as Dina smirked, “Shut up and watch the movie.” Dina snorted when she heard Ellie breathe out “Asshole,” under her breath.

-

Halfway through the movie, Ellie felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head, and Dina’s head migrated to rest on the unoccupied space. Dina’s body somehow ended up wrapping around Ellie’s slender figure. Ellie felt her body tense up at the contact, but she relaxed when she felt Dina’s soft breaths on her chest. Ellie had an internal debate on whether or not she should wake the girl or rest her head against the dark-haired girls. Ellie made up her mind and chose the latter, leaning her head against Dina’s, and bravely throwing an arm around the sleeping girl's shoulder. As she continued watching the movie in silence, she swore she felt Dina’s cheek turn up in a smile. They sat like this for a while.

Once the movie credits started rolling, Ellie heard a few light snores coming from the shorter girl. Dina had an early shift this morning, so the logical thing to do was to let the girl sleep. At Ellie’s feet was her backpack, with her unoccupied arm, she opened it up and pulled out her novel. With the other arm around Dina’s shoulder, Ellie decided to trace small circles up and down the girl’s arm while she read. The contact caused Dina to shift. She went from laying against Ellie to laying on her side with her head in Ellie’s lap. 

“Mmm, that feels nice,” Dina mumbled in regards to Ellie rubbing her arm.

Ellie let out a small laugh; Dina was entirely adorable when she was half asleep. Looking around the den, she noticed a neatly folded blanket on the couch she and Dina were sitting on. Ellie placed her book down on the sofa’s arm, leaned slightly to the right, and grabbed it as gently as possible. She placed it over the sleeping girl then moved her hand to play with Dina’s hair. She picked up her novel and continued reading. They stayed like that for a few hours until Dina stirred. The once sleeping girl turned from her side and laid onto her back, looking at the girl over her.

“Oh god, I fell asleep on your lap, didn’t I?” Dina threw her hands over her face to hide her embarrassment. 

“You sure did.” Ellie laughed, “I didn’t mind. There was something pleasant about not having to hear your annoying voice.” 

Dina took the book from Ellie’s hand and lightly hit the top of the girl's head, “Fuck off.” 

“I’m joking, but you did miss the ending...and the middle.” Ellie took her book back from Dina and let it sit on the arm of the sofa. She moved her hand to Dina’s hair, tucking strays that fell out of place from her nap behind her ear. She swore she felt Dina shiver at the contact. “You feeling alright?”

“Ye...yeah. I’m sorry for falling asleep. Work was exhausting, and it’s been a long day. You’re also surprisingly a good pillow, and you’re warm. I think you’re a human furnace.” Dina laughed.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I’m just messing around.” Feeling a buzz on her stomach, Ellie pulled out her phone from her hoodie to check the time. It was nearing 6 PM. “Hey, I gotta get home. I told Joel I would have dinner with him, Tommy and Maria.”

“Okay.” Dina started sitting up from her lying position, “Can I walk you home?”

“D remember, I only live three houses down. I will be okay. I promise.” Ellie smiled at the girl’s fake worry.

“I know, but I couldn’t live with myself if something happened,” Dina joked with the taller girl.

“How about this, I text you as soon as I get through the door?” Dina put her finger to her chin as if she were having an internal conflict thinking about it, “Do we have a deal?” Ellie held her hand out, waiting for the dark-haired girl to take it in her own hand.

“Deal...but first, I get to walk you to my front door.” Dina shook her hand and leaned in close, “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Ellie smiled at the dork in front of her. She stood up, stretching out her legs Dina once laid across. As she began walking downstairs with the smaller girl in tow, she threw her jacket on, staring at the girl beside her. Placing her hand on the doorknob, Ellie softly said, “Thanks for hanging out with me, Dina. Today was nice.”

“Thank you for visiting me at work and for keeping me company. The house gets lonely when Talia is always at work.” Ellie frowned at the girl, but then suddenly, two strong arms were wrapped around her waist.

Ellie stood there frozen but then melted into the embrace, wrapping her arms around Dina’s neck. Dina smelled like a mixture of lavender and fresh coffee. She never liked the smell of coffee, not even when Joel made a fresh pot, but the smell of coffee radiating from the girl in front of her made Ellie happy. She felt like she was home.

Once Dina unwrapped herself from the taller girl, Ellie took a step back and unlocked the door. “Well, whenever you feel like that, I’m a text away...or a few houses down. Thanks again, Dina, I’ll let you know when I’m home.” Ellie leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Dina’s cheek before leaving her house.

-

As she walked through her house’s front door, she smelled the pot roast Joel was cooking. She heard Joel and Maria laughing and talking in the kitchen and walked over to greet them, “Hey guys, I’m home.”

“Hey, Kiddo. What have you been up to?” Joel asked while Ellie took her jacket off.

“I was just out with Dina. I went to visit her at work and then we watched a movie at her place.”

“Glad to see you’re making friends.” Joel smiled at the girl, “Go wash up. Dinner will be ready in a half-hour.”

“Will do. By the way, thank you, Maria.”

“For what?” The blond-haired woman questioned.

“For talking to the neighbors before we moved in. I wouldn’t have had the nerves to do that.”

“It’s not a problem. Jackson is very welcoming, and we’re all glad you both are here.” With that, Ellie walked over and gave Maria a warm hug. “Go wash up; you smell like coffee.” Ellie laughed.

“I’m going. I’m going.” Ellie turned to walk up the stairs and pulled her phone out. She opened her messages and clicked on Dina’s name.

_ Ellie: I’m home now. Thanks again for today. I had fun. _

_ Dina: About time, slowpoke. I did too.  _

_ Dina: Don’t forget, we’re going to the bonfire on Saturday, so you better dress warm. _

_ Ellie: I know, thanks, mom.  _

_ Ellie: <3 _

_ Dina: Fuck off.  _

_ Dina: Have a good night, El. I’ll speak to you soon. _

_ Ellie: Have a good night, D. Get some rest. _

Ellie shoved her phone into her pocket, walked to her desk, and pulled out her sketchbook. She drew a quick sketch of Dina sitting on the bench from earlier. With her hair astray from the wind and from the stress of work. Her freckles contrasting with the cold winter atmosphere, Ellie thought Dina was beautiful. Once she finished, she jumped into a quick shower and got ready for the family dinner she’s been waiting for, excited for the weekend ahead of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!  
> I was listening to the new PVRIS album "Use Me" while writing. Check it out!!!


	4. Sleepover

Today was a hard day for Ellie. It’s been three months since her breakup with Cat. She stayed home and left her phone on “do not disturb.” Joel knew how this day affected the younger girl. He learned to get all of Ellie’s favorite foods and snacks. Ellie was thankful for him but told him he didn’t need to stay home. Things were slowly getting better for her, but some days just sucked. She sat on her bed and pulled her guitar up to her lap. She slowly began to finger the chords, music filling the room. 

Music tends to calm Ellie down. If a day was tense, she would put on a random vinyl and let the music soothe her out. If it wasn’t a record, she would play her guitar, hitting notes that expressed her feelings and emotions.

After an hour of playing, Ellie decided to make herself somewhat presentable. Mentally, she was going through hell, but maybe if she got up and did something useful, she could feel a little better. She jumped into a hot shower, letting the steam and hot water relax her muscles. She stayed under the water until it turned cold and uncomfortable. She brushed her shoulder-length auburn hair, throwing it into a ponytail. Ellie walked over to her dresser, grabbing the first pair of sweatpants and long sleeve t-shirt she could find. After slipping the clothes on, she made her way back over to her bed. Grabbing her guitar from where she last placed it, she continued playing soothing notes until she heard a noise come from outside. She shrugged it off, continuing to play until she heard the noise again. She turned around and watched as a pebble flew from the sidewalk to her window.

“What the fuck?” Ellie whispered as she went to look out the window. She searched for the suspect, and Dina was standing there with a small smile on her face, waving at the now grumpy girl. She opened the window, yelling down to the girl, “You could have broken my fucking window, dickhead.” Seeing Dina made her heart skip a beat. “What are you doing here, D?”

“Relax, it's just a tiny ass pebble. I called you to see if you wanted to hang out, but it’s been radio silence for like 4 hours. I just wanted to check in on you...make sure you’re still alive.” Dina made out that the girl's eyes were puffy, red, and overly glassy. “Are you okay, Ellie?” 

After a moment of silence, Ellie shrugged her shoulders. With tears threatening to escape, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, “Yes and no. I don’t really want to talk about it, but thanks for checking in.” Dina stared at the girl in her window and nodded.

“Okay, I won’t push. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call or text. I’ll see you later.” Dina turned around to start walking back to her house. She could hear an audible sigh come from the girl behind her.

“Fuck...Dina, wait!” Dina turned around to face the girl once more, “Can you come to the front door.” The dark-haired girl nodded and walked over to the front of the house, while Ellie closed the window and walked downstairs to let her inside. “D, listen. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you out. Today is just really fucking shitty, and I don’t want to be alone right now. I told Joel he didn’t need to stay with me today, but I think I regret that. ”

“It’s okay, El. Whatever is bothering you, I’m here for you.” Dina wrapped her arms around Ellie and gave her a warm hug, “Do you want me to stay with you until he’s home?” Ellie nodded against her shoulder. “Okay, do you want to go back to your room or stay down here?” Ellie mumbled, “my room,” and Dina stepped back from the hug, “Lead the way.”

Ellie grabbed Dina by the hand and led her to her bedroom. Dina has never been in Ellie’s room before. When she walked in, she took in the girl’s room. There were painting canvases in the corner, a bunch of sketches scattered around her desk, a record player on a small nightstand, and the guitar leaning against the bed. She watched as Ellie flopped on her bed face first before rolling onto her side, facing the window she was looking through a few minutes earlier. Ellie felt the mattress dip beside her as Dina sat down, the smell of lavender engulfing her. 

“Is it okay if I lay with you?” Dina asked, slowly positioning herself next to the taller girl. Ellie mumbled out a yes, and Dina took off her shoes and laid down next to Ellie. She rolled onto her side, throwing her arm around the auburn-haired girl's waist, spooning her. Dina whispered into Ellie’s still wet hair, “I know you said you don’t want to talk about it, but I am here for you, okay?”

Ellie rolled over, staring Dina in the eyes. The smaller girl gave her a tiny smile. With that gesture, Ellie was sobbing. Dina grabbed Ellie and held her close to her chest. She rubbed soothing circles on Ellie’s back while the other hand played with her hair. Placing a kiss on her hairline, Dina hugged her tightly, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Ellie wrapped her arms around Dina’s slender figure and buried her head into her chest, her whole body wracking as she let out sob after sob. Dina continued her ministrations before she felt Ellie drifted off to sleep against the freckled girl, her heartbeat being the last thing she felt.

-

When Ellie woke up, she felt two strong arms wrapped around her. Dina’s arms. She wiped the dried tears from her stinging eyes. She tried to escape Dina’s tight hold against her but gave up. She noticed the girl was sound asleep and that Dina had a small frown on her face. Ellie sighed and tried to wake the other girl, lifting her hand to tuck some of the dark hair behind the sleeping girl’s ear. 

“Hey, D?” Ellie whispered, watching Dina’s brown eyes flicker open.

“Hey.” Her voice raspy with sleep, “How are you feeling?” Dina lifted the back of her hand, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She let out a small yawn, continuing to focus on the girl in front of her.

“Like absolute shit.” Ellie tried to fight Dina’s hold on her, but when the dark-haired girl wrapped her arms around her again, Ellie decided to cuddle closer into Dina, “Thank you for being here and staying even after crying on you.” Ellie let out a low chuckle.

“You don’t have to apologize. That’s what friends do, plus we all have those days.” Dina pushed some of Ellie’s hair out of her face, examining the girl’s freckled face. She got a good look at Ellie’s scar and stared into red, glassy green eyes. Dina placed another kiss on Ellie’s hairline and gave her a soft smile, which Ellie returned.

“I do want to talk about it with you.” Ellie rolled onto her back, taking a deep breath, “It’s been three months since Cat and I broke up. I tried not to let today bother me, but nothing helped. Everything I was doing just reminded me of her. I know it shouldn’t bother me anymore, but it still does some days. She was the first girl I said I love you to, and I think there are still tiny parts of me that do, but I can’t anymore. I don’t want to feel like this. Why do I suffer when she’s probably okay, doing whatever she wants. I have this constant reminder of her on my arm, don’t get me wrong, I love my tattoo, but now it’s just tainted with her.” 

Dina gently grabbed Ellie’s arm, tracing the pattern along the fern leaves of Ellie’s tattoo. She felt Ellie shiver at the sensation; she must have touched a sensitive part of her arm. “It’s okay to feel this way. Not everyone recovers from a breakup instantly. As you said, she was the first girl you loved, but she’s certainly not the last. One day, you will find a girl who loves you back and gives you everything you need. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t feel the same way after Jesse and I broke up. I know I ended it because I fell out of love with him, but all the memories together, they can replay over and over in your brain, and it hurts. But I promise that it will get better, El. You just gotta do the things that make YOU happy. Even if that means fighting 10-year-olds in a snowball fight.” Ellie let out a small laugh, causing Dina to smile, “There she is. You’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it.” Ellie stared into dark brown eyes as the girl’s fingers continued to dance along her tattoo. 

“Thank you, D. It really means a lot to me that you’re here, and you’re right. I gotta do what makes me happy, replacing bad memories with good ones.” 

Dina smiled at the taller girl, “Yes, especially if that means watching lame movies with yours truly.” Ellie rolled her eyes at the girl. As the girls laid on Ellie’s bed, they sat in comfortable silence before Dina traced up Ellie’s tattoo, circling the moth. “You told me the moth on your tattoo is looking for the light, maybe the next girl you fall in love with will be the light you’re searching for.” Dina slid her finger down to Ellie’s palm, playing with her long slender fingers. She put her hand into Ellie’s and intertwined their fingers. “You will be okay, El. I am here for you, and I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.” 

Ellie smiled at the action of Dina holding her hand. The girl's hand fit perfectly against her own, and it sent a jolt of electricity through her body. Maybe Dina was the light she was searching for, she thought. Ellie sat up against her headboard and looked at the girl next to her, “Can I...Can I play the song I wrote about the breakup?” 

Dina nodded and stared as Ellie reached over her body, grabbing the guitar against the wall. Ellie adjusted herself into playing position and tuned her guitar to the proper chords. “Don’t laugh at me. I haven’t played this for anyone.”

“I won’t, especially when I’m hearing an Ellie original.” Dina smiled at the girl in front of her, who was focusing on making sure the sound was right. 

Once satisfied with the sound, Ellie began fingering the strings. As light music filled the room, she began to sing. Her voice was low and raspy, something Dina was definitely not expecting.

_ Were you always heartless? _

_ Did you learn it from your father? _

_ The way you run away from all this _

_ Was I just the target? _

_ 'Cause it's hittin' me the hardest _

_ Maybe this is what you wanted _

_ Well, you got it _

_ Every bit, every empty affection _

_ Turned around to be used as a weapon _

_ Even though I cut off our connection _

_ Well, I hope that you love this attention. _

Ellie looked up from the neck of the guitar into Dina’s eyes. She saw dark eyes turn glassy as she felt her own eyes begin to brim with tears. She continued to sing,

_ I gave you tears when _

_ You wanted emotion _

_ Said it was love, so _

_ I cried out an ocean for you _

_ You're probably fine now _

_ And not even hurtin' _

_ You're free as a bird while _

_ I carry the burden for you. _

_ If this is what love is _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless _

_ If this is what love is _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless _

_ If this is what love is _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless. _

Dina watched as tears spilled from Ellie’s eyes. She wanted nothing more than to wipe them away. She didn’t want to break Ellie’s concentration from the song, so she kept her hands to herself as Ellie continued.

_ Don't know what you call it _

_ I shouldn't be nostalgic _

_ For the way, you ran away from all this _

_ 'Cause, babe, you don't deserve it _

_ Finally, time you heard it _

_ You might be a loveless person _

_ And you know it _

_ Every bit, every empty affection _

_ Turned around to be used as a weapon _

_ Even though I cut off our connection _

_ Well, I hope that you love this attention. _

Feeling the tears roll off the side of her face, Ellie used her shoulder to wipe the tears away. Dina gave the girl a sad smile while her own tears fell from her eyes.

_ I gave you tears when _

_ You wanted emotion _

_ Said it was love, so _

_ I cried out an ocean for you _

_ You're probably fine now _

_ And not even hurtin' _

_ You're free as a bird while _

_ I carry the burden for you. _

_ If this is what love is _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless _

_ If this is what love is _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless _

_ If this is what love is _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless _

_ Then I guess I'm loveless. _

As the song came to an end, Ellie placed her guitar down on the floor, and Dina’s arms were wrapped around her in an instant. She lifted her hand, gently wiping tears away from Ellie’s face as Ellie did the same for her. 

She leaned her forehead against the taller girls, “Oh Ellie, any girl would be lucky to have you. You are not loveless,” Dina wrapped her arms around the fragile girl, hugging her tightly. She led the girl to lay down on her side, still clinging to each other. “Thank you for playing for me.” She whispered.

“Thank you for listening.” Ellie gave Dina a small smile. Dina began to lean her head closer to Ellie’s, her lips a few inches away. Ellie looked at the brown eyes, zeroed in on her lips, and then back at her eyes. Ellie started to lean in, feeling Dina’s breath on her lips, the small distance almost closed between them. Ellie placed a hand behind Dina’s head, hoping she’d get the hint to close the gap.

_ KNOCK KNOCK _

The girls jumped apart as Joel entered the room. He looked at the two girls lying on Ellie’s bed, “Oh..um. Hey Dina. I brought home pizza if you guys want. I’ll see you downstairs.” Joel walked out of the room with a small knowing smile on his face. 

“You hungry?” Ellie asked Dina, flustered, and red from embarrassment.

“Yeah, I could eat.” Dina watched as Ellie started sitting up. She grabbed her arm before she could get up, “Hey, El, can I ask you something?” 

“Shoot.” Ellie sat facing the girl, wondering what was on her mind.

“How did you know you were gay?” Dina watched as Ellie’s eyebrows shot up. That wasn’t the question she was expecting.

Ellie sat at the edge of her bed, her hand rubbing the back of her neck, “Shit...I don’t know. I guess I never really took an interest in boys growing up. We would play truth or dare at the foster home, and the girls would always be like, “Which boy do you think is the cutest?” and I never had an answer because I didn’t picture myself with a guy. I would always hang out with Riley, and I always thought she was so pretty and that I always wanted to look at her. Then the day Riley kissed me, the way it made me feel. It’s like it sent a spark to my brain like, “Hey Ellie, you like girls.” I couldn’t picture kissing a guy or wanting to be with one, so that’s how I realized.” 

Dina smiled and nodded her head at Ellie, “Good to know. Let’s go eat, don’t want to keep Joel waiting.” Dina shot off the bed, leaving Ellie with a confused look on her face.

-

As the girls walked downstairs and ate dinner with Joel, he told embarrassing stories about Ellie. Ellie wanted to absolutely die from embarrassment. Dina laughed as Ellie hid her face in her hands, placing a hand on the girl's leg, comforting her. She felt Ellie’s leg tense, but when Dina looked over at her and gave her a grin, she instantly relaxed. They were just about finished eating when Ellie offered to clean off the table.

“You? Who are you, and what have you done with Ellie?” Joel teased.

“Fuck off. I always help out!” Ellie huffed and rolled her eyes at Joel. “Now, give me your plates so I can clean them off.” Joel handed Ellie his plate, and Ellie grabbed hers and Dina’s, smiling at the smaller girl as she picked it up.

Once Ellie left the room, Joel cleared his throat, attempting to get Dina’s attention. “Hey, Dina? I don’t know what you did today but thank you.”

“What do you mean?” Dina knew what he was talking about but wanted to hear Joel say it.

“Today is a hard day for Ellie. She tends to stay in her room and here and there I’d hear her cry. She tends to shut people out whether she turns her phone off or just fights with anyone who asks. I just wanted to say thanks for being her friend and taking good care of her.” Joel smiled at the dark-haired girl, who gave a smile back in return.

“I’ll always be here for her. I mean that. I came by earlier, and she tried to shut me out. I wasn’t going to push her to talk or anything, but when I started to turn to go home, she called me to come in. We talked about today, and she took a nap. I figured she needed a few hours to turn her brain off. I do care about her more than she thinks.”

“I can tell. Ellie’s never had a close friend before outside of the foster home. There was this boy Sam back in Pittsburgh. I think Ellie felt connected to him because he lost his parents quite a while ago, and his older brother Henry took care of him. She spoke about him a few times but never seemed to go out with him. She’s a homebody. For her 16th birthday, I asked her if she wanted to have a party with the kids from school, but she told me she wanted to go to the museum, so I took her there. That girl loved the gift shop. She bought a hat and placed it on different dinosaur figures and said, “It’s a hat-o-saur” I’ve never seen her so happy and at peace before.” 

Ellie walked back into the dining room and looked over at Dina and Joel, “What are you guys talking about?” 

Dina broke the silence, “You...It’s a hat-o-saur.” She started laughing.

Ellie’s eyebrows shot up, face turning bright red, “NO! Fuck you, both. I was 16!”

Dina got up from the table and hugged the girl, “It’s okay, El. We both know you’re a big dork.”

Ellie glared daggers at the girl, “Shut up.” Gently nudging her. “Would you want to stay over tonight?” 

“If Joel doesn’t mind. Talia is working an overnight shift.” 

“Joel, is it cool if Dina stays the night?” 

“Yeah, that’s okay. I gotta head to bed soon anyway. Y’all wanna play Clue before I hit the hay?”

Both girls looked at each other and ran to the table, ready to compete against each other.

Dina won. Not just won, she kicked their asses. “Fuck yeah!” Dina exclaimed when Joel pulled out the cards from the evidence envelope. “Ms. Scarlet with the revolver in the Billiard Room!”

Ellie huffed, “That’s not fair, your sister is a goddamn cop.”

“As if that has anything to do with this game.” Dina laughed as Ellie rolled her eyes. “Good game, guys!” Dina held her hand out for Ellie to shake, and when Ellie went to grab it, Dina pulled it away fast.

“Fuck you, Dina. No one likes a sore winner.” Joel laughed at the interactions happening between the two girls. 

“Alright, girls, It’s about time I hit the sheets. Good game again, Dina.” Joel gave her a high five and stuck his tongue out at Ellie. “Goodnight, ladies.” 

“Goodnight, Joel.” 

“Night, Joel.” Ellie looked over at the dark-haired girl, “So...you want to watch a movie? I’ll even let you pick this time.”

“That sounds good. Do you wanna stay down here or go back to your room?” 

“We can go back to my room. Let’s just grab some snacks first.”

As they grabbed what they wanted, the girls headed back towards Ellie’s room. Ellie rummaged through her drawers to find some pajamas for Dina. She let her change in peace as she walked to the bathroom, washed up, and grabbed a spare toothbrush for Dina. Once they were both settled, they plopped down on Ellie’s bed as Dina scrolled through Netflix to find a movie.

-

Ellie fell asleep first. Dina settled on some lame rom-com, which ultimately bored the girl to sleep. Dina liked the feeling of Ellie snuggled up to her, her long slender arms wrapped around her waist, with her head pressed against her chest. It was a comforting weight, one that made her feel safe. Yet, she couldn’t help but think about their almost kiss. 

Sure she was a flirt. She kissed almost everyone on the cheek. Even hitting on everyone was something she did. When she held the sleeping girl’s hand earlier, there was a spark through her body. She thought about how Ellie looked at her, the way Ellie was affectionate yet an asshole all the same time; she really liked that. Even cuddling with Ellie earlier as she cried, she thought their bodies fit together so well. Like the last piece to a puzzle.

When Ellie would come visit her at work, she noticed the girl glancing at her over her book. She even caught the girl drawing sketches of her every so often. Maybe she did like Ellie. It wouldn’t be so bad. Ellie was pretty. The way her green eyes would shine in the sun, the way Ellie cursed under her breath when she was annoyed, even the way Ellie looked at her like she was the only person in the world. Dina wanted to feel Ellie’s lips against hers earlier. She knew it wasn’t the right time considering everything Ellie was going through. She didn’t want to take advantage of her friend. She sighed at her thoughts.

Ellie stirred, feeling Dina’s breath against her head. She sleepily mumbled, “You okay?”

Dina smiled as Ellie held onto her tighter, “Yeah, I’m okay. Go back to sleep, El.”

“Mmmkay.” Ellie placed her head closer to Dina’s chest, hearing her heartbeat and the way it picked up from the action, “D...would you want to continue the conversation we were having earlier before Joel walked in?”

Dina felt her face heat up and her heartbeat racing, “Don’t you fucking know it.” She felt Ellie giggle before she mumbled “good” under her breath.

She was screwed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd another one for y'all. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> The song Ellie played is Loveless by PVRIS.
> 
> [Listen Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmC1I6_2g-E)


	5. Bonfire

_ Bzzzz…bzzzz...bzzzz _

Ellie woke to the sound of her phone, vibrating nonstop. She groggily reached for her phone, checking the time. 7:45 AM, way too early for the sleepy girl. Another text came through; Ellie smiled at the name.

_ Dina: Good morning, sleepyhead _

_ Dina: Don’t forget the bonfire is tonight _

_ Dina: I can’t wait for you to meet everyone _

_ Dina: Shit, you’re probably asleep. I’m sorry for waking you. Come to the cafe when you’re free. I’m here ‘til 2. _

Ellie smiled at the messages. Dina was talkative in person, but she was even worse over text. Instead of sending the standard single text message, she would always triple text. Ellie decided to text back just as bad,

_ Ellie: I don’t _

_ Ellie: remember asking _

_ Ellie: for a _

_ Ellie: wakeup call! _

_ Ellie: Morning, D. _

_ Ellie: I’ll be there around 11 for your break _

Almost instantly, Dina texted back,

_ Dina: Okay, okay...point taken. I’m sorry for blowing up your phone so early. I’ll see you then! _

It had been a few days since Dina slept over. Ellie liked being with the girl. Yes, she could be annoying and intrusive, but she didn’t mind one bit. That’s what made Dina unique. Ellie wanted to kiss her badly the other day, but the timing wasn’t right at all. She’s kind of glad Joel interrupted; she wasn’t even sure if Dina was into her, let alone girls. She knew that Dina could be flirty with everyone, so she didn’t think too deeply about it. As soon as they met, Ellie thought Dina was beautiful. The way her dark hair cascades around her face, her olive skin covered in freckles, even her perfect smile, made Ellie swoon. Just like herself, Dina was an asshole and affectionate all at the same time. 

Thinking of Dina, Ellie couldn’t get back to sleep, so she decided to go downstairs and grab a quick bowl of cereal. As she walked down the stairs, Joel was standing at the cupboard grabbing a bowl for himself. “Morning, Joel.” Joel’s eyes widened at her.

“Do my eyes deceive me, or are you actually up this early?” Ellie rolled her eyes as Joel pretended to rub his eyes in shock.

“Dina blew up my phone first thing in the morning. I couldn’t go back to sleep, and a bowl of cereal sounds pretty appetizing right now.” Joel grabbed another bowl from the cabinet, “Thanks. Hey Joel, how’s work going? I haven’t really asked about it.”

“It’s all good. It’s been going well. There’s this one boy, Jesse. He’s doing a hell of a job keeping up with building codes and getting his assignments finished. He’s definitely on his way up to being director one day.”

“I met him the other day when I was with Dina. I don’t know much about him, but I do know Dina dated him in high school.” 

“He’s a nice kid. Little rough around the edges like you, but I think you’d get along great.”

“Maybe. I’m hanging out with Dina later tonight. There’s a bonfire happening, and Dina wants me to meet everyone there, so I assume I’ll see him there.” Ellie shrugged.

“You and her been spending a lot of time together. Anything you need to tell me?” Joel smirked as Ellie’s face heated up.

“We’re just friends. She’s the first person I don’t actually want to kill, and she’s the first friend I’ve willingly made on my own.”

“Well, I’m glad you both have each other. Maria tells me her sister works all kinds of shifts, and their schedules never work together. I know I haven’t been around much since I started working, but I promise I’ll start making some time for you.”

“I know I missed game nights with you. You know, where I kick your ass at Mario Kart or any other game in general.” Joel scoffed, standing from the table, 

“How about a match, baby girl?”

Ellie stood up from the table, running into the living room, “You’re on, old man.”

-

After countless rounds of kicking Joel’s ass at every game possible, Ellie started making her way towards the cafe. The weather was starting to warm up, which the girl was thankful for. Spring was slowly but surely approaching. This was Ellie’s favorite season. She loved watching everything come back to life, whether it would be flowers blooming, trees blossoming, or animals coming out of hibernation. Since this would be her first spring in Jackson, she figured Dina could take her to some hot spots where she could sketch, and the dark-haired girl could take her pictures. Continuing her journey to the cafe, she pulled out her phone and decided to text Dina.

_ Ellie: On my way. See you soon. _

As she turned the corner, she bumped into a person. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Can you believe the cafe has this long of a line? It’s never been like this. It’s like once there’s a little bit of warm weather, everyone needs an iced coffee or latte.” Ellie scoped the line. It was at least a 40-minute wait.

She marched her way to the front of the store, ignoring the yells of people thinking she was cutting the line. Entering the cafe, she saw Dina in a frazzled state. Her hair was a mess, a small frown on her face and her forehead creased. Dina looked towards the door when she saw Ellie appear. Her face and mood instantly changed from stressed out to relieved. Ellie approached the counter, “What can I do to help?”

“El, you don’t have to help. We can-” Ellie shook her head,

“I know you can handle it. Just let me help out a bit. Where do you want me?” Dina gave her a small smile as she reached into the pocket of her apron and grabbed a notepad and pen.

“Take this, get the orders from the people in line, and bring them back here. The faster we make their coffee, the faster we can end this rush.” As Ellie grabbed the notepad from Dina, the smaller girl whispered, “Thank you, El.” 

“Of course.” Ellie smiled at her and turned to the insane line, ready to start her volunteer work. 

-

After an hour, the line had dissipated, and Dina finally had a moment to breathe. She noticed Ellie sitting at her usual table in the back corner of the cafe. Ellie was focused on her phone, probably reading some space articles or playing a game. She grabbed a quick cup of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream for her.

“Hey, whatcha doing?” Dina walked over to Ellie, placing the cup in front of her.  “Hey, thanks for the drink. I was playing an intense game of solitaire.” Dina snorted, taking a seat across from Ellie. Ellie smiled at her as she put her phone back in her pocket, focusing solely on the girl in front of her. 

“Thank you again for helping. I really appreciated the extra set of hands. You really didn’t have to-”

Ellie interrupted, “I know, but I wanted to. I don’t like seeing you stressed out.”

Dina gave the girl a small smile, “You know what I love about you?” Ellie focused on Dina’s serious facial expression, “How you let me finish my sentences.” She gave the taller girl a shit-eating grin causing Ellie to roll her eyes. “My boss is letting me leave early since we killed the rush. Was there anything you wanted to do?”

“Not me, but what about you? You looked like you were gonna explode from the stress. Is there anything I can do to help alleviate your stress?”

“Well, for starters, I could use food in my stomach.” Almost on cue, her stomach growled loudly. “And I could also use a nap...one with my favorite pillow.” Dina winked at the girl across from her. 

“I’m starting to think you only like me as a pillow rather than a person.” Ellie pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye, causing Dina to throw her head back in laughter. “A nap does sound nice, especially when someone decided to blow up my phone at the ass crack of dawn, and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“Aw, too busy thinking about me?” Dina batted her eyelashes, receiving an instant groan from the taller girl. “I’m kidding! Now let’s get a move on. My stomach is about to eat itself.”

-

After eating at the town diner, the girls headed back to Dina’s house. Once inside, Dina led Ellie up to her bedroom. Ellie hadn’t seen her room yet, so she was a bit nervous. They would usually hang out in the den where they would spend most nights watching movies or playing a video game here and there.

Walking into Dina’s room, the first thing Ellie noticed was a queen-sized bed pushed up against the corner of the room. It was covered in a maroon duvet and gray sheets. The next thing that she noticed was that Dina had a picture wall right next to her bed. The one that caught her eye was from the day Dina took Ellie out for a tour. It was front and center while surrounding photos included ones of Jesse, some other girls from Jackson, and a woman Ellie suspects is Talia. Dina looked about 14 years old in the picture. Talia was wearing a small smirk on her face, oversized glasses, a black sweater with her dark, disheveled hair in a side braid with her arm around Dina, hugging her close.

Dina noticed Ellie staring at the picture, “That’s my sister. We took that back in New Mexico at our grandparent’s house. We had a small family gathering after prayer at the synagogue. My family comes from a long line of Holocaust survivors, so we tend to celebrate them. On my 13th birthday, my grandma gave me this.” Dina held out her wrist, revealing the hamsa bracelet, “It’s a good luck charm, giving protection from the evil eye.”

Ellie stared at the bracelet a little longer, “I never believed in luck. I feel like everything happens for a reason, whether it’s great or just pure shit. I am glad you have that connection with your family. It’s rare, and it’s so genuine, I hope someday down the line I can have that too.”

“You will.” Dina smiled as she walked over to her bed. She kicked her shoes off and threw them to the other side of her room. Ellie watched as Dina stretched out across the mattress, “You coming or what?” Ellie nodded, walking over to her bed. She laid down next to the shorter girl, a little tense. “Are you okay, El?”

Ellie nodded. Her mind was filled with a million thoughts. Do friends actually nap together? Was Dina genuinely flirting with her at the cafe, or was she just being Dina? She sighed, letting her eyes shut. Distracted by her thoughts, Ellie didn’t feel the dark-haired girl quickly snuggled up against her. Her nose was filled with the scent of coffee and lavender. She opened her eyes, watching as Dina’s slender finger traced her tattoo. Ellie wrapped her free arm around Dina, and she whispered, “You’re very interested in my tattoo. Thinking of getting one?” 

Dina halted her ministrations, leaning to the side to look at Ellie better. “I wanted one for a while, actually. It’s considered “taboo” in the Torah, but I’m not that religious. Maybe one day I’ll get something. I could also keep you around so I can admire yours.” Ellie laughed

“Oh, were you considering not keeping me around? I’m hurt.” With that, Ellie received a pillow to the face. “What the hell. Have you been hiding all that strength from me?” 

“A girl likes to work out here and there.” Dina sat up, flexing her arms, Ellie’s jaw dropped. “Took you by surprise, I see.” If Ellie wasn’t gay before, she definitely is now. “Are you going to continue staring, or can we nap. I’m tired.”

Shaking her head, Ellie opened her arms for Dina to lay between. “Sorry, that completely caught me off guard.” Dina laid down, resting her head on Ellie’s chest. Ellie gave her a soft hug and kissed her hairline as Dina did for her a few days ago. “Sleep well, D.”

-

After a few hours of napping, Dina woke while Ellie stayed asleep. She changed out of her work clothes and into something warm. Once she finished, she walked over to the still sleeping girl. She brushed Ellie’s hair out of her face, whispering, “El? Wake up. We gotta go soon.”

Ellie rolled onto her side, mumbling, “No...too comfy.” Dina laughed at the girl who reminded her of a child. 

“Come on, grumpy. We had plans.” She heard Ellie sigh as she rolled onto her back and started sitting up. “Thank you. I’m going to grab my camera. Do you need to grab anything from your place?”

“Maybe my jacket and possibly my guitar.” Dina’s eyes lit up at the mention of her guitar, “Don’t they usually have someone playing during a bonfire in those cheesy teen movies.”

“Are you saying we’re in a cheesy teen movie?” Dina snorted.

“No, I just mean for atmosphere purposes. A bonfire is essentially a big campfire, so why not?” 

“You’re a dork, El. Let’s go grab your stuff.” Dina led Ellie out into the cooler night.

After grabbing Ellie’s things, they were on their way to the bonfire.

-

The girls walked to a small trail a little bit outside of the neighborhood. Following the trail, the girls were able to see a few animals in their natural habitat. Ellie’s seen deer before, but the bison was a new one for her. As they followed the path, it led to a small overlook where you could see the beautiful mountains and the life of the city. Ellie, mesmerized by the scenery, didn’t notice that Dina pulled out her camera and took a picture. 

Ellie heard the shutter from the camera and turned to look at Dina. “I wasn’t ready for that.”

Dina bit her lip and smiled, “I like taking candids. They show authentic emotion within that person.”

Ellie didn’t mind Dina taking pictures of her. She wasn’t exactly photogenic, but when it came to the girl next to her, she’d do anything for her. Walking a bit further up the path, they came into sight of the bonfire. There were a bunch of people standing around talking, drinking from beer bottles, and smoking. Ellie froze at the sight of a bunch of strangers. Dina stopped beside her, noticing she’d become tense.

Reaching for the taller girl’s hand to comfort her, Dina asked, “El? Are you okay?”

Ellie, still frozen in place, felt Dina’s hand in hers. She felt as Dina squeezed her hand to reassure her. “There’s just a lot of people here. I wasn’t expecting this.”

“I know. Stay with me, and you’ll be okay.” Ellie nodded, and Dina gave her a hug to settle her nerves once and for all. 

As they continued walking to find familiar faces, Dina kept a hold on Ellie’s hand. Ellie didn’t mind, Dina’s hand was warm, and it made her feel safe. They came face to face with Jesse and a few others. 

“Hey, ladies. Nice to see you both here. What can I get you to drink?”

“Two beers.” Dina grabbed a beer from Jesse and passed it to Ellie. Once Dina had hers, they clinked their glasses and started to drink. “Thanks, Jess.”

“Of course. How’s Jackson treating you, Ellie? You and the old man settled in fine?”

“Yeah, we finally finished unpacking a few days ago. Jackson’s been good so far. I don’t mind the company.” She flashed Dina a smile. “How about you? Is Joel treating you good?”

“Sure is. Out of all the architects I’ve worked with, he’s the best one. He really knows his shit.” 

“He really doesn’t mess around when it comes to work. The amount of stress that man went through back in Boston and Pittsburgh was ridiculous.”

“You sure that wasn’t from you?” Dina poked at Ellie, causing her to flip Dina off. 

“Yeah, yeah. Very funny, D.” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Jesse! Get over here!” The voice of a stranger called out.

“I’ll see you guys around. Dina, introduce Ellie to Mike and Olivia. They’re over there.” He pointed at the pair of blondes. 

“See you, Jess.” Dina sighed, “So Mike and Olivia were our best friends in high school. Mike was on the football team, and Olivia was in my photography class. I would sit with Jesse at lunch, and one day, Mike decided to join us at the table then the next day, Olivia sat with us. Since that day, they’ve been inseparable.” 

“Ah, high school sweethearts. That’s nice.” Ellie felt awkward and out of place at this event. She wanted to at least try for Dina. “Let’s go meet them.”

-

After being introduced to Dina’s friends, Ellie realized she had a lot in common with Olivia. They liked the same music, they both enjoyed comics, and Ellie even gave her recommendations. 

As a few hours had passed, the bonfire started dying down. Dina and Ellie had a couple of drinks together and then some with Mike and Olivia. When the couple left, they decided to take a walk on a small path where Dina could take photos of the sky and mountains. Dina told Ellie she was shivering, so she offered the dark-haired girl her jacket. Dina was very grateful for the gesture. When they got back to the bonfire, Ellie sat on the ground, leaning against a big rock. She placed her guitar down near it earlier in the night, so she decided to strum a bit into the night air. 

Dina took a seat next to her, another beer in her hand, “Thank you so much for coming with me.”

Ellie smiled as she continued to play. “It’s no problem. I think I missed out a lot as a teen, so it’s a different experience. How many beers have you had?” 

Dina leaned her head against the rock she was sitting against. She nodded her head back and forth while Ellie strummed her guitar, “I don’t know, maybe 5 or 6? I lost count.” Ellie shook her head at the girl, “Whatcha playin?”

“It’s called Toes.” Ellie looked up from the neck of the guitar into Dina’s dark eyes. “Want me to sing it for you?” Dina bit her lip, nodding.

Ellie smiled at the girl next to her. She stretched out her wrists, releasing any tension building. She hit the first chord, then the next. She looked up from the guitar and stared right into Dina’s eyes,

_ If you are a cliffhanger ending _

_ I’m the one that doesn’t know anything _

_ Like a magpie and a ring _

_ I am always going to be looking right to you. _

_ Oh, you capture my attention _

_ Carefully listening, don’t wanna miss a thing _

_ Keeping my eyes on you _

_ Got me on my toes _

Dina felt a blush creep up on her cheeks as Ellie gave her a small smile. Elli continued, 

_ If I were to hideout on the sea _

_ You'd be whispering from the westerlies. _

_ And any book I’ll ever read _

_ You'd be the line that sticks out to me _

_ Out to me _

_ Oh, you capture my attention _

_ Carefully listening, don’t wanna miss a thing _

_ Keeping my eyes on you _

_ Oh, you capture my attention _

_ I'm anticipating. I’m watching and waiting _

_ For you to make your move _

_ Got me on my toes _

_ Got me on my toes _

As Ellie strummed the last chord, she watched as Dina’s face went from bashful to completely smitten.

“Wow,” was all Dina could say. The song left her speechless, and Ellie smirked, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Ellie felt very hot, so she grabbed the beer from Dina’s hand and took a generous sip. Maybe it was the alcohol affecting her, or maybe it was the girl she was with.

As Ellie put her guitar back in her case, Dina whispered to Ellie, “I wanna tell you something.” 

Ellie scooted back to Dina, placing a hand on the shorter girl’s lap, “What’s on your mind, D?” 

“Earlier, on that walk, I wasn’t actually cold. I just wanted your jacket.” Dina gave Ellie a big cheesy grin. “You’re warm, and you smell good. I think you’re the bestest friend ever.” Ellie snorted but also felt her cheeks heat up.

“Okay, dork. I think it’s time we get you home. You need to sleep off the alcohol.” Dina nodded her head as Ellie got up from her spot. Dina held her hand out for Ellie to help her up. “Too drunk to get up on your own?” The taller girl laughed as Dina mumbled yes. Ellie helped her up.

“El, can I sleepover again. Talia’s sooo gonna kill me.” Dina frowned.

“Sure, but you need to be quiet. I don’t want to wake Joel. Can you do that?” Dina nodded, “Good. Let’s go.”

As Dina started walking, she practically tripped over her own feet. “Help me.” Ellie laughed as Dina pouted. Ellie crouched a little so Dina could sling her arm around her shoulders. “You’re my hero. My super Ellie.”

Ellie rolled her eyes, “You’re so lame. Are you ready to try again?” When Dina said yes, they began their descent back to Ellie’s house.

-

The 10-minute walk turned into 30 minutes. Once they got into Ellie’s house, Dina plopped down right onto the couch. Ellie grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and made sure Dina drank every last bit of it. She refilled the glass and grabbed pain meds from the cabinet. She walked back over to Dina,

“Come, let’s get you to bed.” Dina got off the couch and grabbed Ellie’s hand while she walked up the stairs.

When they got into Ellie’s room, Ellie sat her on the bed. She rummaged through her drawers to find Dina something to sleep in. When she looked back over at Dina, she noticed the girl was struggling to get her shirt off. “I’m sorry for getting drunk. Can you please help me? I think I’m stuck.”

“Yeah, one second.” Ellie didn’t want to overstep anything. Sure she was into Dina, but right now, in this drunken state, Dina was off-limits. “Lift your arms over your head.” Dina did as she was told, and soon the shirt was peeled off. Ellie noticed Dina’s chest was covered in light freckles. She also noticed Dina had a scar on her hip, “Can I?” Ellie’s finger hovered over the mark, waiting for Dina’s approval. Dina whispered a yes, and Ellie’s fingers gently brushed along it. Dina shivered at the sensation, which didn’t go unnoticed by the taller girl. Ellie examined the girl in front of her, not realizing how long she’d been staring. 

“Take a picture; it lasts longer.” Dina teased as Ellie’s face went red.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Ellie grabbed the shirt from her bed, helping Dina slip it on. “You handle the rest. I’m gonna wash up.”

“Wait, Ellie,” Dina called out as Ellie stopped at her door. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I was just messing with you. We’re okay.” Ellie nodded, and soon, she was out of the room. Dina finished getting dressed. She threw on the sweats Ellie gave her. She made a mental note to never give these back since they were so warm and comfortable. She proceeded to lay down on Ellie’s bed on her side, facing the window in her room. 

She heard Ellie walk in the room, turn the light off, and then felt the bed dip as Ellie got in. Ellie laid the same way as Dina but this time, facing the door. “Goodnight, D.”

“Goodnight, Ellie.” Dina began to roll over, facing Ellie’s back. She moved closed, snaking her arm around Ellie’s waist, pushing her back against her front. “Is this okay?” Ellie mumbled out a yeah, and Dina placed a kiss on Ellie’s shoulder. “El?”

“Hmm?” Ellie answered.

“Thank you for tonight, and I’m sorry if I made things awkward just now.” Ellie rolled over, looking at Dina’s creased forehead and sad eyes.

“You didn’t. I just got lost in my thoughts, and I really didn’t mean to stare at you like a perv.”

“El, it’s okay. I promise.”

Ellie tucked Dina’s stray hair behind her ear, smiling at her. “Okay, let’s get some sleep. I left some pain meds on the nightstand for you.”

“You’re the best.” Dina rolled over, this time her back to Ellie’s front. She traced patterns on the hand wrapped around her waist.

Ellie laid there, staring at the back of Dina’s head. She felt Dina trace letters on her hand. Slowly she was able to make out what the girl was spelling out. Her eyebrows shot up when she realized what Dina wrote out…”I like girls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought about restarting this chapter over 40000 times. Let me know what you think. Thanks for for reading!


	6. The Meeting

Ellie has not been able to sleep for the last two weeks. Her brain kept wandering to the night of drunk Dina’s revelation. She hadn’t stopped hanging out with Dina or visiting her at work, but something felt different. The air around them was thick with anticipation and fear. The auburn-haired girl was afraid of messing up their friendship, but she wanted it to potentially bloom into something deeper, intimate, and personal. It felt right and wrong all at the same time. She didn’t want to make a move on Dina suddenly, maybe she’ll wait it out.

Dina texted her earlier that she had a closing shift at the cafe and invited Ellie to hang out. Ellie liked keeping the dark-haired girl company. Dina was acting a little different lately, not in a bad way, of course. She was noticeably happier, and seeing that made Ellie’s heart fill with joy. As she found herself at the entrance of the cafe, she stopped and looked through the window. Dina was focused on wiping down the counters, her dark hair falling out of place, obstructing her eyesight. 

Ellie walked into the cafe, the door chime going off after her. “Hey, D.” 

“Hey, Ellie.” Dina walked around the counter and up to Ellie.

Ellie opened her arms, giving Dina a friendly hug. Dina smelled of coffee and vanilla. That was steadily becoming her favorite smell. After letting Dina go, Ellie moved a strand of Dina’s hair out of her face. “How’s work going?”

“Well, for starters, it's been like this,” She holds her arm around, gesturing to the empty room, “for the last 2 hours. Thankfully you’re here now to keep me company.” She smiled at the taller girl, walking behind the counter and grabbing two to-go cups of their drink of choice; hot chocolate. Hot chocolate with extra whipped cream became their thing. No matter where they were, whether it’d be at the cafe, Dina’s house, or even Ellie’s, Dina would always have the drink ready.

Ellie whipped out a $10 bill and placed it on the table, causing Dina to roll her eyes. She learned to stop fighting Ellie when she tipped her. “Thank you, D. Hey, what are you doing after this?”

“Absolutely nothing, I did want to stop by the station to bring Talia some dinner and a coffee. Would you want to come?” 

Ellie scratched the back of her neck; in the two nearly three months she has been in Jackson, she never once met Talia. She doesn’t get scared easily, but something about meeting Dina’s sister was haunting her. “Sure, why not. I haven’t met your sister yet. Anything I should know about her?”

Dina tapped her chin with her eyes narrowed, “I don’t think so. She may look like a badass, but she’s a softy...kind of like you.” Ellie rolled her eyes at the comment.

“Fuck off.” Dina threw her head back in laughter. 

-

After Dina closed the cafe, she dragged Ellie to grab a bite to eat, and then they made their way over to the station. They decided to walk through the park as the nights were still cold but slowly warming up. On the main path to the station, Dina decided to start hitting Ellie’s hand with her own. After three unsuccessful attempts, Ellie eventually took hold of her hand, interlocking their fingers. 

“Is this what you wanted me to do?” Ellie teased, watching the blush creep up on Dina’s face.

Dina smiled at her, giving her hand a light squeeze. “Maybe.” Ellie smiled back at Dina as they continued walking the path.

Once they reached the police station, Dina let go of Ellie’s hand. Ellie instantly missed the contact. She followed Dina through the front doors and up the stairs. Sitting at the main desk was the girl from the photo. “Hey, Dina! What brings you here?”

“We brought you some dinner. Talia, this is my…” Dina tracked off, what was the girl to her. “This is my friend Ellie. She moved to Jackson a few months ago.”

Talia got up from her desk and held her hand out to Ellie, “Nice to finally meet you, Ellie. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Dina’s eyebrows shot up, “This one never shuts up about you.” Immediately after that statement, Dina’s face turned bright red.

“Oh, really?” Ellie smirked between the siblings, grabbing Talia’s hand.

“Yeah, just about how much of an asshole you are.” Dina jokingly shoved Ellie.

Ellie laughed as the smaller girl tried to act tough. “Was Dina always like this?”

“Oh, one hundred percent. She used to fight the boys in her 1st-grade class to prove she was stronger. Mom would get a call from the principal maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I don’t know how she didn’t get expelled.” Dina flipped her sister off, making Ellie snort. “Hey Dina, can you drop the food off in the break room? I was in the middle of paperwork before you came in.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem. I should have called. My bad.” In a blink, Dina was around the corner.

“Ellie, thank you for keeping her company. She was going through a lot for the last couple of years with our family issues and with me not being around as often as I’d like. Since you came into her life, she’s happier. I noticed the light come back into her eyes, and her laughter is genuine. Thank you for being her friend.” Talia rested her hand on Ellie’s shoulder. She smiled at the auburn-haired girl who had a small blush on her face.

“I care about her a lot. I told Joel that she’s the first person I didn’t want to kill. I think we both came into each other's lives at the right time.” Ellie smiled as Dina walked back into the room. “Welcome back.”

“Hi.” Dina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at Ellie. “You wanna come back to my place? I’ve been wanting to kick your ass at Mario Kart for some time.” 

“Sounds good. It was nice meeting you, Talia. I hope to see you outside of the station soon.” 

“You as well, Ellie. You girls have a good night.”

As soon as they were out the door, Dina’s hand found Ellie’s again. Ellie’s stomach filled with butterflies as Dina looked up at her and gave a sweet smile. She smiled back, giving the girl's hand a slight squeeze. 

“Your sister is nice. I don’t know why I was scared to meet her.” Ellie confessed.

“I think it’s the whole cop thing. That tends to scare people, even ones who don’t break the law. She’s really nice under that tough look to her.” Ellie nodded and smiled. “She wasn’t kidding y’know. I do talk about you to her.”

“What do you tell her?” Ellie wasn’t upset; she was genuinely curious.

“Just that you’re one of my favorite people and that I think you came into my life at the best time possible. Also that I really appreciate you.” Ellie felt the blush creep up on her. Dina could be really affectionate at times. “I love it when your face gets all red.”

Ellie rolled her eyes; there was the asshole in Dina. “Screw you.” Dina laughed as they continued making their way to her house.

-

As soon as they got to Dina’s, they went right to the den. Switching on the console, Dina grabbed two remotes for herself and Ellie.

“I can’t wait to kick your ass. I used to beat Talia all the time at Mario Kart.”

“Oh yeah? You’re in for a shock. Joel and I played this all the time before we moved to Pittsburgh. I was the reigning champion for three years, and I will continue to dominate.”

“You’re such a fucking nerd, holy shit.” Ellie gently shoved Dina. “Hey! This is only a fact, not an opinion.”

Ellie rolled her eyes, “Best of 5?” 

“You’re on.” 

The first match went well. Ellie beat Dina, throwing a red shell at her right before she crossed the finish line. 

That ended with Dina screaming, “WHAT THE FUCK! HOW?” and Ellie responded with a shrug and a laugh.

In the second and third matches, Dina won in a split of a second. She knew Ellie was fuming next to her, and she couldn’t help but laugh. The fourth match, Ellie blue shelled Dina right before the final lap. In the last game, Ellie absolutely destroyed Dina. She made sure to knock Dina off the track multiple times, considering it was Rainbow Road. 

“Fuck you and fuck Rainbow Road.” Dina flipped Ellie off, causing her to snort. “I don’t get it! How is your timing always perfect.” 

Ellie shrugged, “Years of practice in foster care. Some of the older kids taught us tricks and gave us tips.”

“That’s not fair! I didn’t have any help, and I had to do this on my own.” Dina looked over as Ellie leaned against the arm of the sofa, her head resting on her hand. She had a dopey grin on her face, watching as Dina complained. “I’m sorry you must get sick of me complaining.” 

“As annoying as you are, I don’t mind it.” 

Dina rolled her eyes, “Honestly, I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

Ellie tilted her head back and laughed, “Could be both, you’ll never know.” She winked at the dark-haired girl.

Dina scooted closer to the taller girl, placing a kiss on her cheek, “I’m glad you’re here, El.” 

Ellie smiled at her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder, “Me too.” Dina’s face broke out into a huge grin.

“Do you wanna watch something?” Dina leaned forward to grab the remote from the coffee table and sat back, situating herself in Ellie’s arms again. “Here.” She passed the remote.

Ellie grabbed it and started flipping through Netflix. She finally settled on some horror movie. Ellie didn’t mind horror films; she actually enjoys them. Dina didn’t know that. When a scary scene came on, Dina would latch on tightly to Ellie’s thigh or even turn her head and hide her face into the crook of Ellie’s neck. She made a mental note to watch more horror movies with Dina.

-

A few hours after the movie had ended, the girls remained on the couch aimlessly watching tv. Sometime during the night, Dina decided to lay with her head in the taller girl’s lap. Ellie’s fingers ran through dark hair. Dina’s eyes were struggling to stay open as Ellie continued her ministrations. 

“D, do you want to go to sleep? I can go, I don’t want to keep you up.”

“Yes and no. I don’t want you to leave.” Ellie smiled at the confession, “Stay the night, please.”

Ellie pulled out her phone, texting Joel so he wouldn’t worry where she is. “Okay, but let’s get you to bed.” Dina started to sit up, a small smile on her face. 

When they got off the couch, they walked into Dina’s room. The first thing Ellie noticed was that her picture wall got bigger. Her eyes zeroed in on the candid Dina took of her while they were standing on the overlook. Dina really was a great photographer.

Dina snuck behind Ellie, her arms snaking around her waist. She leaned over Ellie’s arm, admiring the picture. “I really love how that one came out. The contrast of the sun setting against the mountains and the town coming to life at night. It’s really incredible, plus I had this really great model.” She poked Ellie in the ribs, causing her to laugh.

“Shut up, Ellie blushed. “Do you happen to have a change of clothes for me?”

“Yeah, one second.” Dina rummaged through her drawers, pulling out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. “Here you go, I’m gonna wash up in the bathroom, and I’ll leave a spare brush on the counter for you.” 

“Thank you, D.” Ellie threw the shirt to the bed and looked at the familiar sweatpants. “Ah, so you stole these from me.” She held out the pants, and Dina’s eyebrows shot up.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just got them like two weeks ago.” Dina smiled as Ellie joked with her. 

“Two weeks ago, when you slept over, yes. It’s okay, as a token of appreciation, they’re all yours.”

“They were all mine the second you gave them to me.” With that, Dina was out of her room in an instant. 

Ellie changed into her pajamas and continued to inspect Dina’s room. A few pictures were scattered around at Dina’s desk, a bunch of memory cards and papers were thrown around. She walked back over to the picture wall and found some more from the night of the bonfire. Some of which Ellie was standing on a rock flexing her muscles. The next picture took her by shock. Ellie and Dina were holding hands on their walk, the background was blurred, and Ellie stood a few inches in front of her. The focus was on Dina’s arm, and their hands intertwined. It looked like Ellie was taking Dina on an adventure, which made her heart skip a beat. 

She heard Dina walk into the room and turned to face her. “Can you send this to me?” She pointed to the picture she was just admiring. 

“I didn’t think you noticed that one. I wanted to do a picture like that for a while, but I finally got a chance with you. I’ll send it to you in the morning.” Ellie nodded and left the room to wash up.

As she got back to the room, Dina had turned the lights off and went under the covers. She joined Dina, and automatically, the smaller girl was wrapped around her side. Ellie wrapped an arm around Dina, holding her closer. She really loved having the girl in her arms. Her scent and feeling her warmth always overtook her senses in the best way possible. In just a few minutes, Ellie heard Dina’s light snoring, so she kissed her hairline and let her sleep. A few moments later, she heard a whisper from the once sleeping girl. 

“El, will you take me out.”

“In a murder way or a date way?” Ellie joked, breaking the tension.

“On a date, asshole.” 

“I will.” 

“Thank you.” Dina craned her neck and placed a small kiss on Ellie’s jaw, “Goodnight, Ellie.”

“Sweet dreams, Dina.” 

The butterflies in Ellie’s stomach were going crazy. Now all she has to do is figure out a place to take Dina. 

Fuck, she’s going on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a shorter chapter, I've been busy this week and wasn't really feeling in the mood to write, but fear not. I will make it up to you really soon.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


	7. The Date

_“El, will you take me out.”_

_“In a murder way or a date way?” Ellie joked, breaking the tension._

_“On a date, asshole.”_

_“I will.”_

It’s been a week since Ellie slept over Dina’s house. One week since Dina asked Ellie to take her on a date. She assumed she was joking, but the next day, when Dina asked again, Ellie knew she was serious. The thought of Dina being into her felt like a dream, one where she didn’t want to wake up. The conversation from the other night repeatedly played in her head. She couldn’t sleep; she had other things to do.

It was nearly 11:30 AM when Ellie rose from her bed. She hopped into a quick shower, wanting to begin her day. Once she finished getting dressed, she walked downstairs, finding Joel having an animated conversation with Dina. Dina had her head tilted back, laughing as Joel made his best impressions of Ellie. Of course, he talked about the time Ellie found an old porno magazine in their old neighbor in Boston, Bill’s garbage bin. 

“Fuck you, Joel. I don’t sound like that.”

“You do, Kiddo.” Impersonating Ellie, “Oh. Why are these all stuck together?” Ellie blushed as the man poked jokes at her innocent question.

“Oh my god! Ellie, how old were you?” 

“Fourteen. How the fuck was I supposed to know Bill shot his load on the pages?” 

Dina snorted at the question. She watched as Ellie and Joel continued to bicker about Boston and Bill’s strange habits. After the conversation ended, Joel looked between Ellie and Dina,

“Alright, ladies, I’m heading out to Tommy’s farm. He needs some help. I’ll see you guys later.” He walked passed Ellie, placing a kiss on her head and placing a hand on Dina’s shoulder.

When he left, Ellie looked back at the shorter girl,

“Wait, I forgot to ask. What are you doing here? I thought you were working today.”

“I was supposed to, but my boss decided to close the cafe today; he had a family emergency. So I found myself walking here instead of going home.”

Ellie nodded her head, “You wanna do something then?”

“What do you have in mind?” 

“We could go to the trails again. I’ve seen them at night, but now I want to see them during the day time. You could bring your camera, and I could bring my sketchbook.”

“Sure, that sounds good. Do you want to grab a bite to eat first?”

At that moment, Ellie’s stomach growled, “Absolutely.”

-

After eating at the diner, they made their way back to Dina’s house to grab her camera. Since Ellie always carries her sketchbook with her, they made their way right to the trails. Dina held Ellie’s hand in hers as they continued walking up the path. Ellie squeezed it a bit tighter, still unable to believe that Dina had feelings for her. 

They reached the overlook, taking a seat on big flat rocks while Ellie sketched out the scenery in front of her. Dina snapped some pictures of the city and then took a few candids of Ellie sketching. Ellie looked up at the girl and gave her a small smile. Dina snapped that picture instantly; it was 100% going up on her wall. 

When they finished in that spot, they hiked up the path a bit further. The girls came across the native wildlife of Jackson. They witnessed a herd of moose drinking from the stream. Dina made sure to be quiet while she snapped a few pictures. This time, Ellie sketched out Dina, crouched in position with the herd in the distance. 

“Holy shit, El. Look over there!” Dina whispered as she pointed her finger to a family of bison walking around the field in front of them.

“That’s fucking awesome.” Ellie grabbed Dina’s hand and pulled her off the trail. She wanted Dina to capture a closer picture of the bison in its natural state.

Once Dina got the picture she needed, they walked back to the main trail.

“What did you think, newbie?”

“The only time I’ve seen a bison was in movies. I never realized how fucking huge they are. It’s incredible.” Dina liked when Ellie geeked out over stuff like this. Watching Ellie smile ear to ear was her favorite sight.

-

After a few hours of hiking, sketching, and snapping pictures, the girls made their way back into town. They held hands as they walked to Dina’s house. Once inside, they stopped in the kitchen, grabbing apple slices and honey to dip them in. 

“My grandma used to give these to Talia and me after prayer. We believe apples are a symbol of good health, and honey signifies hope for the new year to be sweet.”

Ellie smiled as Dina talked about her faith. She liked learning about Dina’s family customs. While Ellie isn’t religious by any means, she and Joel always celebrated Christmas and Easter. 

They ate at the kitchen counter in comfortable silence. Once the girls finished, Dina grabbed Ellie by the hand and made their way up to her room. Ellie plopped down on the bed as Dina placed her camera down on her desk. She popped her memory card out of her camera and into her computer. While her memory card loaded in the computer, Dina walked over to her bed. Ellie rolled over to the other side of the mattress so the other girl could join her. Dina laid down on her back while Ellie instantly cuddled into her. 

“Someone’s clingy today.” Dina joked as Ellie hugged her tighter.

“Fuck off. You’re comfortable.” 

“Now you see why you’re _my_ favorite pillow. Did you like the trails today?”

“I did. I’m glad I got to experience that with you.”

“Me too.” Dina yawned, “You wanna take a nap?” Ellie nodded against her chest, so she placed a kiss at her hairline. “Okay, sleep well.” 

Ellie mumbled a “You too.” before succumbing to sleep. 

\- 

After an hour of napping, Ellie woke up to her stomach growling. She looked up at Dina, who was still sleeping. She noticed a smile on her face, and she desperately wanted to kiss her. 

“I can feel you staring.” Dina sleepily mumbled. She opened her eyes, gently cupping Ellie’s cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m getting hungry. Would you like to go out to dinner with me and possibly see a movie? Maria told me the theater in town is playing old sci-fi movies, and I’d love it if you came with me.”

“Like...on a date?” Dina smirked as Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Yes, stupid. I’m asking you on a date.”

“Count me in.”

Ellie got up first; she wanted to do things properly. “Hey, D. I’ll be right back. I’m gonna head home and change clothes real fast.” 

“Okay, let me know when you’re ready.” Ellie pressed a kiss to Dina’s cheek before heading out.

-

Ellie got home in record time. She swapped her t-shirt for a decent button up flannel. Ellie brushed her teeth and threw her hair up into a neat bun. She was out the door in minutes. On the way back to Dina’s house, Ellie picked a daisy growing from the garden on the front lawn. 

_“Girl’s like flowers, right?”_ She thought to herself. 

As she approached Dina’s door, she decided to ring the doorbell and wait for her date. Dina answered the door in a coral blouse and jeans that fit her figure very well. 

“Hey.” Dina looked over Ellie and smiled.

“Hey, I got you this.” Ellie held out the flower for Dina to take. 

“You know Joel’s going to kill you for messing up the garden.” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“I had a reason to.”

Dina smiled before grabbing her coat. "Where you taking me?” 

“Tommy told me about this Italian restaurant in town. I figured we could try it out.” Her stomach growled again, causing Dina to laugh, “Shall we?” She held her hand out for the dark-haired girl to take. They walked hand in hand to the restaurant, nerves filling Ellie’s stomach.

-

As they got to the establishment, the hostess led the girls to a table. Ellie pulled Dina’s chair out as she sat down. Ellie sat across from her, smiling as Dina took her hand in hers. 

“This is nice—just the two of us and no one to interrupt.”

“Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

“If I’m going to be 100% honest, I had no clue you were interested in me, let alone girls. You’re naturally flirty, so I couldn’t even tell.” Dina threw her head back in laughter. 

“I was figuring things out for myself. I knew from the moment we met that there was something about you I wanted to know. The more time we spent together, the more I knew I wanted to possibly be with you.”

Ellie smiled at her confession. “Me too.”

The waiter came by and took their orders. Once the food arrived, the girls ate in peace. They were occasionally bantering between bites. This type of relationship is what Ellie wants with Dina. Honest conversations, flirtatiousness, and bantering. That’s all she needed.

\- 

As dinner came to a finish, Ellie went to pull her wallet out to pay, but Dina stopped her. 

“My treat this time.” Dina placed a few bills on the table.

“I thought _I_ was taking _you_ out,” Ellie responded.

“You are, but I don’t want you to pay for everything. We’re a team, El.” Ellie smiled and nodded at the dark-haired girl. 

“Okay.” She got up from the table, helping Dina out of her seat. “You ready for a movie?”

“A nerdy sci-fi movie with my favorite nerdy sci-fi dork? Yes, please.” 

Ellie grabbed Dina’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Jackson was pretty quiet tonight, considering it was a Monday night. As they got to the theater, it was relatively empty—a few couples sitting in the back row and a few scattered along the front and middle. Dina led Ellie to seats directly in the middle. There was no one else seated around them, which was perfect. Dina placed her hand on Ellie’s thigh as the movie started. 

“You ready?” Ellie whispered.

“Fuck yeah.” Dina whisper-shouted, causing Ellie to snort. 

The movie screening tonight was “Terminator 2: Judgement Day,” which is Ellie’s favorite movie. She’s seen it over 30 times with Joel, and it’s the one movie she will never get sick of watching. Ellie threw an arm around Dina’s shoulder, allowing the smaller girl to cuddle up to her. This was heaven for her; her favorite movie and the one girl she knows that would never break her heart in her arms.

-

As the movie came to a close, the girls walked back to Dina’s house, hands interlocked. 

“What did you think of the movie, D?”

“It was a lame early 90’s film. Though Sarah Connor sure is a babe, so I can see why you love it.” 

“Screw you! The Terminator is not lame! It is a classic!”

“El, I’m joking; it was exciting and interesting. Something very rare for a 90’s movie. ” Ellie rolled her eyes at Dina. “I’ll watch all the Terminator movies with you if you’d like.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

When they got inside Dina’s house, they made their way back up to her bedroom. Ellie yet again flopped onto Dina’s comfortable bed. Dina walked over to her computer to make sure her memory card finished uploading the pictures. She noticed it still had about 40 minutes, so she joined Ellie in her bed. 

“You wanna spend the night?” Dina asked, wrapping Ellie in her arms.

“I don’t sleep with someone on the first date.” Ellie snorted as Dina playfully punched her arm. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. I’ll stay if it’s not too much trouble.” 

“It’s not any trouble. I like having you here. I feel safe when you’re around.” Dina admitted.

“You call me a softy, yet you say things like that. I like that you feel that way with me.” 

“Good. I’ll get you a change of clothes.” Dina grabbed a pair of pajamas for herself and Ellie. “I’m gonna wash up if you wanna get changed.” 

Ellie did as she was told and waited for Dina to get out of the bathroom so she could wash up herself. Once they finished, they laid in Dina’s bed side by side. Ellie was the big spoon, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s frame, keeping her safe. The last thing Dina felt before drifting off to sleep was Ellie placing a kiss on her shoulder.

-

A few hours had passed when Ellie woke up. She knew Dina wasn’t in her arms anymore, so she reached out to grab her, unsuccessful in her attempts. Ellie opened her eyes only to be blinded by a computer screen. She saw Dina sitting at the computer looking at pictures from earlier today. 

“Babe?” Ellie rasped.

“Yeah?”

“Come back to bed. I miss you.”

“I’ll be there in a second. I’m just looking at the pictures that finally finished uploading. You wanna take a look?”

“Yeah, give me a second to wake up.” After a few minutes, Ellie pulled up a chair flicking the lights on, and sat next to the dark-haired girl. She rested her forehead on Dina’s shoulder, “Hey.”

Dina smiled at the taller girl, “Hey, sleepyhead. You’re just in time.”

Ellie turned her head from Dina’s shoulder to face the computer screen. The screen filled with the beautiful pictures Dina had taken. With each click of the mouse, the girls inspected the images one by one. There were a few that stood out to Ellie, only because she was the main subject. There were some of Ellie sketching, then some of her smiling as she watched the wildlife. During the hike, Dina had set her camera down on a rock and set the timer. She stood next to Ellie, placing a kiss on her cheek while the camera took the picture. That was Ellie’s favorite photo from the day.

“This came out nice. We look good together.” Dina smiled as Ellie felt a blush creep up on her.

“I thought we went on this trail for the wildlife. Why did you take so many of me?” 

“I liked the view.” Dina winked, “Can you blame me?”

Ellie shook her head, “No, I guess I can’t. I did the same.” She pulled her sketchbook out of her jacket pocket, flipping to the pages filled with Dina and some of the wildlife.

“Holy shit, Ellie!” Dina’s hand grazed the drawing, lowering her voice, “You make me look so beautiful.” 

When Ellie didn’t respond, Dina looked up from the page into sparkling green eyes. Ellie was staring right at her, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. The taller girl lifted her hand, tucking a strand of dark hair behind Dina’s ear. “That’s because you are, Dina.”

Ellie let her hand rest on the back of Dina’s neck. Her fingers gently playing the hair on the nape of her neck. Dina leaned closer to the taller girl, her eyes glancing at Ellie’s lips, back to her eyes, “Ellie, what are you doing?” 

Ellie craned her neck a bit more, their lips inches apart. “Something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.” Ellie cupped Dina’s cheek, bringing their lips together. 

Ellie felt her heart skip a beat the second Dina’s lips moved against her own. Dina’s lips are soft and magnetic, and she tastes like mint. She kisses her as her life depended on it. Ellie frowns as Dina pulls back for a quick moment to tilt her head and kiss Ellie harder. She tangles her hand in Ellie’s hair as she captures the taller girl’s bottom lip. Ellie responds by humming into her mouth. Dina smiles against her lips, pulling back once more to rest their foreheads together. Regaining their breath, Dina dips her head one last time, pecking Ellie’s lips, causing her to smile and giggle until they’re laughing. 

“Wow,” is the only thing Ellie could say. She places one more kiss on the tip of Dina’s nose, causing the shorter girl to laugh.

“You’re so adorable, Ellie. Who would have thought the badass girl would be a giant softy?” She nudged Ellie’s arm, causing the taller girl to blush.

“Softy or not, you still like me.” Ellie joked.

“I do. I fucking do.” Dina couldn’t help herself but kiss Ellie again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo, I didn't think I'd get this out in time. Hopefully, this one makes up for the last one.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. I really appreciate your kind words, so please let me know what you think! Y'all rock.


	8. The Important Question

Kissing Ellie became Dina’s favorite hobby. She enjoyed it much more than taking photographs. She loved it when the taller girl would smile against her lips, breaking the kiss. Every single kiss with Ellie felt like the first time. A few weeks had passed, and Dina was ready to make things official with Ellie. 

Laying on Ellie’s bed, she pulled out her phone, noticing the time. She had about an hour until her shift started at the cafe. Ellie was seated at the foot of her bed, slowly strumming her guitar. She saw a frown grow on the shorter girl’s face.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

“Nothing important, I just have to work soon.”

“I can walk you to work if you’d like.” Dina nodded and gave her a small smile. 

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Well, Joel told me that he met a “nice lady” at work, and I think he’s bringing her to dinner tonight. We’re going to Seth’s Bar and Restaurant tonight with Maria and Tommy.”

“Joel’s got a hot date, huh? You’re gonna be fifth wheeling.” Dina laughed as Ellie’s face cringed.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“Hey, if worst comes to worst, the cafe is always open for you.”

“Thanks.” Ellie placed her guitar down, scooting closer to the dark-haired girl. She leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss. “I wish you could come.”

“Me too, babe.” Dina glanced at her phone; it was getting kind of late. “I need to head home and change and grab my work stuff.” She got up from Ellie’s bed, holding her hand out, “You ready?”

“After you.” 

-

Wanting to spend as much time together as possible, the girls strolled to the cafe. They took the scenic route through the park, looking as the leaves started to grow back on the trees. They held hands as they walked along the path, watching children chase each other, screaming and playing. It reminded Ellie of the time they had a spontaneous snowball fight on her second day in Jackson. She smiled at the memory.

“What’s got you smiling over there?” Dina asked, poking Ellie’s cheek. 

“Just thinking about us. Our spontaneous snowball fight with the kids on one of my first days here and everything that’s led up to where we are today.”

“Getting all sentimental on me, El?”

“Shut up.” Ellie smiled. “What time is your shift over?”

“8 PM. I don’t even know we’re open at that hour. Who needs coffee that late?” Ellie snorted.

As they approached the cafe, Dina turned to face Ellie. She took both of Ellie’s hands and stood on her tippy toes to place a chaste kiss on her lips. 

Ellie smiled, kissing her again. “I like you.”

“I want that in writing.” Dina laughed before placing a kiss on Ellie’s cheek. “If you’re still at the bar after I close up, want me to rescue you?”

“Please do.”

“Text me around 7:50, and I’ll be there.” Dina looked at her phone one last time checking the time, “I gotta head inside. Text me when you’re home safe.”

Ellie rolled her eyes, “I will. Have a good shift.” Ellie kissed her one last time before Dina walked into the cafe.

-

Ellie found herself smiling as she made her way back home. She started to pull her phone out to text Dina that she was home. Ellie knew Dina was joking with her and that it became an inside joke between them, but Ellie still chose to text her. As she reached the last couple of houses on the block, she ran into the sight of familiar dark hair. 

“Good afternoon, Ellie.”

“Hey, Talia. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I just came home from working an 18-hour shift. How are you doing? My little sister keeping you out of trouble?”

“I’m doing great. Dina’s on her best behavior, I promise. I just walked her to work, and now I’m on my way home. Plans with Joel and everyone.” 

“I know I said it before, but I’m happy she has you. From what she tells me, you’re a good influence on her, and I’m grateful for that. Are you guys…?” She trailed off, hoping Ellie understood.

Ellie smirked and nodded, “Together? No...well maybe? I don’t know. We’re just testing the waters, I guess. We haven’t discussed it.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’d guys be a great couple.” Talia winked as Ellie blushed. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you around possible future sister-in-law.” She laughed as she walked up the porch, leaving Ellie stunned.

She shook her head, laughing to herself as she walked towards her house. Walking up the porch, Ellie noticed an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway next to Joel’s pickup truck. She shrugged her shoulders, pulled her keys out, and walked through the front door. 

“Joel, you home?” Ellie called out.

“Just a minute, kiddo.” Joel walked out of the kitchen with a strange woman. “Ellie, I was planning on introducing you guys tonight, but since you’re here, this is Tess.”

Ellie looked her up and down. Tess was wearing her dark brown hair in a half bun and accessorized with a hairband. Her olive skin was slightly covered in light freckles, and her cheekbones were angular. Tess was tall and slender. She wasn’t as tall as Joel, but just a few inches short than him. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Ellie. Joel’s told me so much about you.” She held her hand out for Ellie, which she graciously took.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Tess. I’ve been waiting for the dinosaur to finally go out with someone.” Joel rolled his eyes as Ellie and Tess laughed. 

“Where’s Dina? It’s odd seeing you without her attached at your hip,” Joel laughed.

“Shut up,” Ellie joked. “I just walked Dina to work, and now I’m here. I’m gonna head up to my room if you need me.” She started to make her way up the stairs.

“Ellie, can I talk to you privately for a second?” Joel asked as Ellie stopped walking. She nodded her head, and he followed her up to her room. 

She walked through the door of her room, moving to sit on her bed. Joel pulled out the chair from her desk and turned it around to face the auburn-haired girl. “What’s up, Joel?”

“Dina...is she your girlfriend?” Ellie looked down at her lap, picking at her nails.

“What makes you say that?”

“I saw her kiss you the other night when she walked you home.”

“Oh...you saw that.” Ellie put her head down, embarrassed. She continued, “She’s not my girlfriend. It’s a pretty recent thing. One day we’re just hanging out, and then the next, she asks me to take her out on a date. So I did. I really like her, and honestly, it fucking terrifies me. I don’t want another Cat incident.”

Joel scooted the chair closer to Ellie, “I don’t know what Dina’s intentions with you are but...I do know that she would be lucky to have you. You can’t spend your life living in fear of rejection. I don’t think that girl would ever do what Cat did to you. Take the leap and make her your girlfriend.”

Ellie sighed, “I don’t think she would either. Dina and I became friends first. We built our relationship, something Cat and I didn’t do. I just don’t want to get hurt again, and it fucking sucks because I know Dina would never do that.”

“Y’know, I’ve seen how she looks at you, and I see how you look at her. The other day when she came over unannounced, she talked a lot about you. She told me how much she cares about you and how she felt a spark the minute you first met.” Ellie shook her head in disbelief, “I’m not making this up, kiddo. Those are her exact words too. You’ve got a great girl here in Jackson, don’t let her go.” Joel got up from Ellie’s chair, placing it back at her desk. “Tess and I are gonna head out for a bit. We’re heading to the cafe. I’ll tell Dina you miss her.” Joel laughed before dodging a pillow Ellie threw at him. 

“Fuck you, Joel. Have a good date.” She winked, and then Joel was out the door. She pulled out her phone, her thumb lingering on a contact. She sighed before typing out a message. 

_Ellie: Hey, Sam. I hope you know I haven’t forgotten about you._

Sam replied instantly,

_Sam: Ah, you ARE alive. How’s Jackson treating you?_

_Ellie: It’s not bad. The people here aren’t assholes, and I’ve met a few interesting people.”_

_Sam: Any girls catch your attention?_

_Ellie: Yeah, her name is Dina_

_Sam: ooooh, show me her!_

Ellie sent him the picture from her second night in Jackson. Then she sent another one from their hike the other day.

_Sam: Ellie!!! She’s hot! How did you even attract her?_

_Ellie: Fuck off! Honestly, I don’t know. We’ve been friends for a while now, then out of the blue she’s like, “take me out.” and I did. I wouldn’t call it a perfect first date since it was spontaneous, but it was still perfect to me._

_Sam: Did you kiss her?_

_Ellie: ...maybe. We have been since then. I think tonight I may ask her to be my girlfriend._

_Sam: Does she know about everything from Pittsburgh?_

_Ellie: Yeah, that’s what scares me. I know she’s not Cat, but still, I don’t want to get hurt._

_Sam: You’ll never know what could happen. She could be your future wife._

Ellie rolled her eyes. This was the second time today someone brought up their future. 

_Ellie: I’m 19! I’m not thinking of a wife._

_Sam: I know, I’m kidding but also serious. Ask her out! I wanna know everything!_

_Ellie: I’ve missed you. I’m sorry it took so long to message you._

_Sam: I’ve missed you, too. It’s okay; things are hectic here as well. Henry’s got a new teaching job, and I got a job at the toy factory here. We’re building these robot toys; it’s kind of interesting._

_Sam: I do have to go, though; I’ll text you when I have a moment. It was nice hearing from you, Ellie._

_Ellie: You too, Sam. I’ll keep in touch._

Ellie sighed; she missed Sam. He was her first friend in Pittsburgh; although they didn’t hang out much outside of school, he was still special to Ellie. She scrolled through her camera roll and found a picture of her and Sam making faces at each other in math class. She smiled at the memory before putting her phone down.

She walked to the other side of the room, grabbing her paintbrushes, and decided to start a new canvas. As her brush glided along the canvas, she smiled when she realized she was painting a portrait of the girl always on her mind. Behind Dina was a landscape of the Grand Teton Range, the mountains just outside of Jackson. Once she finished, she looked at the painting, and her heart skipped a beat. She knew what she had to do. 

-

Seth’s Bar and Restaurant was rather crowded at this time of night. The dining area was small while the bar was huge and wrapped around the entire center of the establishment. There was a country band playing live with a few couples dancing along to their music in the back of the bar. Ellie wasn’t too fond of country music, but it would do for now. Maria and Tommy just came back from the dance floor, laughing as they sat back in their seats. 

“You’d oughta take Tess on the dance floor, Joel. It sure is fun.” Tommy said, wiping sweat from his brow.

“What do ya say?” Joel stood up, extending his hand for Tess. She took his hand, and they made their way to the dance floor.

Ellie pulled out her phone, checking the time. It was nearly 7:45 PM, so she did what Dina told her. 

_Ellie: SOS. Please come to the bar._

_Dina: I’ll be there ASAP. I’m closing up. See you shortly._

“How’s Jackson treating you, Ellie?” Maria asked, taking a sip of her beer.

“It’s been good. I’ve gotten more into painting and drawing since we’ve been here. I miss the city life, but the countryside has been perfect.”

“I hear you made quite an impression on Sheriff Talia. Something about keeping Dina out of trouble.”

“Yeah…” Ellie rubbed the back of her neck, “Dina’s been good. We’ve been spending a lot of time together, and I actually enjoy her company.” 

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you have a friend here. There’s going to be a spring festival coming up. Maybe you and Dina could hang out there with Jesse and the others.”

“Maybe.” When Ellie looked towards the door, she noticed a familiar dark-haired girl walking into the bar. “If you’ll excuse me for a second.” Ellie got up from the table, smiling as she approached Dina. “Hey, babe.” 

Dina wrapped her arms around Ellie’s neck, hugging her tightly. “Hey. I hear you need help.”

“Perfect timing, as always.” Ellie winked. “Come with me, Tommy and Maria are at the table.” Ellie grabbed Dina’s hand and led her to the table.

“Hey, guys. How are you?” Dina sat down next to Ellie, holding her hand out for Maria and Tommy. 

“Hello, Dina. What brings you here?”

“Ellie initially invited me, but I had to work. I figured I’d drop by if you were still here.”

“We’re glad you did. You want a drink or something to eat?” Tommy offered. 

“No, Talia brought me something to eat while I was at work. Where’s Joel?” Maria and Tommy pointed to the back of the bar. Joel was slow dancing with Tess, his head thrown back from laughter. “Hey, El. Would you like to dance with me?” 

“Good luck getting her to dance. The girl’s got two left feet.” Tommy joked as Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I can dance. I just choose not to.” 

“Come on, prove those moves, El.” Dina stood up, dragging Ellie out of her seat and to the dance floor. As they got to the center of the dance floor, Dina grabbed Ellie’s hands and placed them on her waist. Ellie smiled at the action before Dina put her arms around Ellie’s neck, swaying back and forth to the music. “Okay, I have a very serious question for you.” Ellie furrowed her brows before Dina continued, “How bad do I smell?”

Ellie gave her a small smile before pretending to sniff her. “Like a hot pile of garbage.” 

Dina raised her eyebrows, smirking, “Oh! Okay.” Wiping her cheek against Ellie’s, feeling a smile form on Ellie’s cheek.

“Ugh.” Ellie laughed at the action. 

“How about that?”

“Gross.”

Dina laughed, “You love it.” She placed her head on Ellie’s shoulder, getting as close as she could.

Ellie tensed up, feeling a bunch of spectator’s eyes on them. “Every guy in this room is staring at you right now.”

Dina lifted her head, moving her mouth closer to Ellie’s ear. She whispered, “Maybe they’re staring at you.”

Ellie shook her head, “They’re not.”

Dina smirked, “Maybe they’re jealous of you.”

Ellie furrowed her eyebrows, whispering back, “I’m just a girl...not a threat.” 

Dina leaned back, looking into Ellie’s eyes. She tucked a strand of Ellie’s auburn hair behind her ear, “Oh, Ellie…” She placed a hand on Ellie’s neck, “I think they should be terrified of you.”

Glancing at each other’s lips, then back into their eyes, Dina made a move and kissed Ellie, taking her by surprise. Dina smiled as she tilted her head, kissing Ellie harder. That drove Ellie crazy. Her senses completely surrounded by Dina. She didn’t care that she was in the middle of a bar surrounded by strangers. The only thing she cared about was kissing the girl right in front of her. When Dina slipped her tongue in her mouth, Ellie felt all of her nerves slip away. When Dina pulled back, Ellie was smiling ear to ear. 

“Hey, this is a family establishment.” The owner Seth came up to the girls. He smelled of heavy liquor, definitely not sober.

Dina looked at him and smiled, “Sorry.” That wasn’t good enough for Seth, so he continued staring at the girls. “Sorry!” Dina scoffed and rolled her eyes. She grabbed Ellie’s hand and started walking back to the table. 

“Remember next time there’s kids around.” He stood firmly, watching the girls walk away.

“Yeah, like you’re setting such a great example.” Dina looked at Ellie and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, just what the town needs. Another loud-mouthed dyke.” At this point, Ellie was fuming.

She let go of Dina’s hand and got up in his face, “What the fuck did you just say?” Dina stood between the pair arguing, trying to push Ellie back. 

“Ellie. Ellie, don’t!” Dina said as Joel pushed her out of the way.

“Hey! Get the hell out of here.” Joel warned.

“Get your hands off of me.” Maria and Tommy joined in, making sure the argument didn’t turn into anything worse. Tommy brought Seth outside to cool off.

Joel looked between the two girls, “You ladies alright?” 

Dina looked between Joel and Ellie, “Yeah. We’re just gonna head out. I’m sorry the night came to this.” Ellie grabbed Dina by the hand and started to leave.

“It’s not your fault. I hope you both know that. You okay to head home, kiddo?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll see you at home later.” With that, Ellie and Dina were out the door.

-

As the girls walked back home, Ellie looked at Dina. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. She cupped Dina’s cheek, resting her forehead against the smaller girls.

“I’m sorry, D.”

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I lost my temper. Had you not been there, I would have punched Seth in his mouth.”

“No, babe. You had every right. What he said was wrong, and he’s the dick for being a homophobe. It’s okay. You’re okay, and we’re okay.” Dina placed a small kiss on her lips, causing Ellie to smile. “There you are. Do you want me to stay with you?”

Ellie nodded, “Please.”

They walked into the house, and Ellie led Dina to her room. She turned the light on and completely forgot about the painting in the corner, still resting on the easel. 

“Holy shit.” Ellie turned and saw Dina staring at the painting. “Did you do this?” Ellie gave her a small nod and smiled. “This is fucking amazing! Babe, I had no idea you were this talented.”

Ellie laughed as Dina stood there, shocked. “Dina, you’re always on my mind. I pulled out my brushes, then as soon as they connected with the canvas, you were the first thing I drew. I was talking to Joel earlier about you. Then I messaged my friend Sam from Pittsburgh and the entire conversation was about you. You never leave my mind and it scares me. I also know what you said to Joel.”

“Oh, really? What did I say to Joel?” Dina walked towards Ellie, placing her hands on the taller girl’s waist. 

“That you felt a spark since the minute we met.”

“I did say that, huh?” Dina smirked as Ellie rolled her eyes. “What about you?”

“I did. I’ve felt it since that late-night conversation, and the spark gets stronger and stronger with each passing day. I don't want it to ever go away. So, Dina, I have an important question for you."

"What's that, El?"

Ellie took a deep breath then exhaled, "Will you be my girlfriend?”

Dina pulled Ellie in by her shirt’s collar, whispering against her lips, “It’s about fucking time.” She closed the distance between them and kissed her hard. Ellie couldn’t help but smile against Dina’s lips.

“Is that a yes?” Ellie smirked.

“No...It’s a fuck yes.” Dina smiled as she kissed Ellie over and over again. 

A very crappy night turned into a perfect night within an hour, and Ellie could not be happier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to include the dance scene for a long time. I'm glad it was this chapter! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!


	9. The Hike

Spring has finally arrived in Jackson. Ellie found herself going on small hikes almost every morning with her girlfriend. Girlfriend; that’s something she’s still getting used to. Dina would show up at the house at the ass-crack of dawn, dressed in her hiking clothes. Joel was usually up at that hour, so he’d be the one to let Dina in. When she would wake Ellie up, she would lazily plop on the bed, spooning Ellie. Ellie didn’t seem to mind the wake-up call, which consisted of cuddling and good morning kisses. Today was no different, except that they were going up against a more challenging trail. 

“Wake up, El. We gotta get a move on.”

“No,” Ellie mumbled. 

“Babe, I know you’re tired, but the sooner we get this over with, the faster you can go back to sleep.”

Ellie groaned; she knew Dina was right. “Stupid, Netflix. Your shows kept me up all night.”

Dina laughed as she threw a leg over Ellie, settling on her waist. “Hey, don’t blame my shows, that’s your fault. You should have gone to bed at a normal time.” Dina grabbed Ellie’s hands and placed them on her hips. She leaned down and left a lingering kiss on Ellie’s lips. “Wake up, lazy.”

Ellie’s eyes opened slowly, smirking at Dina. “I’d much prefer if we stayed in the position we’re in right now.”

Rolling her eyes at Ellie, Dina scoffed, “You’re gross.” She poked Ellie in the stomach, “Let’s get some food in your belly, and we can make a move, yeah?” 

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Ellie sat up, leaning against the headboard. Dina was still sitting on her lap, which Ellie didn’t mind one bit. She moved one of her hands from Dina’s hip, cupped her cheek, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend’s lips and another one and another one. 

Dina smiled at the action, “You’re distracting me.”

Ellie triumphantly smirked, “I know.” Placing one more kiss on Dina’s lips. “Okay, I’ll get up, and as much as it pains me to say this, you need to get off me.” 

Dina did as she was told and got up from Ellie’s bed. She walked over to the painting Ellie had displayed on the easel. “What’s this?”

“Boston’s skyline. I miss home sometimes, but Jackson is my home now.” She smiled at the dark-haired girl. “Maybe one day we can visit.”

“I would like that. Then I could take you to Albuquerque. I’d give you the exclusive Dina tour.” Ellie took Dina’s hand in her own, “What’s up, El?”

“Do you miss New Mexico?”

“Yes and no. Yes, because I miss my family and no, because had I not moved here, I wouldn’t have met Jesse, Mike, Olivia…” Dina whispered as a blush formed on her cheeks, “And you.” 

“You’re sappy, D.” Ellie smirked before placing a kiss on Dina’s cheek.

“You love it. Now go and get dressed. We’re wasting time.” Ellie saluted her before she left the room.

-

As much as Ellie hated hiking, there was something exhilarating about the activity. Maybe it was the way her lungs burned with each climb, or perhaps it was the company. She looked over at Dina, her face flushed and beads of sweat threatening to roll down her forehead. Ellie never thought Dina looked more attractive than at this moment. 

They witnessed wildlife and other hikers as they made their way up the trail. Once they hit their main destination, Ellie took a seat a rock, taking a huge sip from her water bottle. Dina took her bag off and pulled out a sandwich for her and Ellie to share. 

“How do your legs feel?” Dina looked over at Ellie, who was still trying to regain her breath.

“My legs are jello, and at this point, I think you’ll have to carry me down the hill.” Dina laughed, and Ellie smiled at her, “I’m glad you’re getting a kick out of my pain.” 

“I’ll make it up to you later. We’ll have a movie night, and you don’t have to get up once.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” Ellie leaned in and kissed Dina. “I’m still in shock that I get to do this now.” She placed another kiss on Dina’s lips.

“I still can’t believe you’re my girlfriend. I wanted to ask you, but you beat me to the punch.” 

“Joel asked me if we were together that morning, and I told him we weren’t. The entire conversation, I found my brain wandering to you. I can’t ever get you off my mind, and that terrifies me. You came into my life at the right time, and I’m so lucky for that. I didn’t want to ask you originally because of what Cat did to me. She’s not even here, and she almost talked me out of my feelings for you. I’m glad I channeled my negative thoughts out.”

“Ellie, I’m not Cat. I can’t promise that I’m not going to hurt you, and I will make damn sure I don’t. You mean a lot to me, and since we’re being honest, I was scared too. No, I  _ am _ still scared. I’m scared because you’re the first girl I’ve ever been in a relationship and had feelings for. It scares me how much I like you, and I don’t want to mess this up. These last couple of months have been so incredible and so memorable. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I wouldn’t either. I like you a lot too, D.”

Dina smiled at Ellie before kissing her girlfriend. She knew from the moment Ellie cursed her out for scaring her that they’d have a future together. 

“What do you say we get a move on?” She held her hand out for Ellie to help her up.

Ellie accepted her help, “Lead the way.”

-

Dina walked Ellie home to freshen up and grab her belongings before she made her way to Dina’s house. Walking into her house, Talia was getting ready to step out to work. 

“Hey Dina, I’ve got an overnight shift tonight. I thought maybe next week, we could invite Ellie and Joel over for dinner. Especially now since she’s your girlfriend.” Talia winked at her sister.

“Don’t you think it’s too early? We’ve only been dating for a week.”

“Nonsense, you’ve guys had been great friends since day one. I wanted to do this sooner, but with work keeping me busy, I haven’t had a chance to ask. It might be nice to have your future wife and father-in-law over.”

Dina rolled her eyes, “You’re so annoying. Why do you think I’m going to marry her. We just started dating!”

“I just have a solid feeling about this one. I didn’t have it when you dated Jesse.” Talia winked.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll ask Ellie tonight.” She walked over and hugged Talia, bringing their foreheads together, “Stay safe, Talia.” 

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow. Tell Ellie I said hey.” Talia walked to her patrol car, signaling the siren at Dina as she made her way to work.

Dina walked into her house, texting Ellie that she would be in the shower and that there is a spare key hidden inside of the mailbox. It wasn’t the most obvious of places, but it was still a decent hiding spot. Dina opted for a steaming hot shower. Her body was sore from the hike, but she didn’t mind. She felt terrible for how Ellie’s body would feel in the morning.

After her shower, she went into her room and rummaged through her drawers. The first thing she pulled out was Ellie’s sweatpants that she claimed as her own. She put them on along with a black long sleeve shirt. She checked her phone for any messages from Ellie, and to her surprise, she had just gotten one.

_ Ellie: Can I come upstairs now? I’m bored. Also, I put the key back in the mailbox. _

She smiled at the message. Ellie was so thoughtful and considerate of her privacy. Leaning out of her bedroom doorway, she yelled to the auburn-haired girl, “Come on up. I’m all dressed.” She went back into her room, hearing Ellie’s light footsteps come up the stairs. Dina went back to making her bed when she felt Ellie’s arms wrap around her waist. Turning around and smiling, Dina pecked Ellie’s lips, “Hey, babe.” 

“Hey.” Ellie hugged her girlfriend tightly, relishing in the scent of Dina’s lavender shampoo. Ellie kissed the top of her head before sitting down on Dina’s bed, kicking her shoes off and placing them neatly under the bed. “I am so ready to relax, my whole body feels like mush.”

“A few more hikes, and you’ll be a pro. I have one planned for us tomorrow!” Ellie glared at her, “I’m fucking around. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“You better not. I need a break from any activity that requires climbing. I was debating on crawling my ass up your stairs.”

Dina snorted, “You’re so dramatic, but I will make sure you strictly relax as promised. So lay down, and I’ll get some stuff downstairs for us.” 

Ellie laid on Dina’s bed. Dina’s bed was ten times more comfortable than hers. She threw the blanket over her and laid in silence until Dina came back, her hands full of snacks and different movies. “D, I would have helped you with that.”

“I know, but I am keeping my promise.” She smiled at the girl in her bed, placing all the items down on the nightstand. “You okay? You’re kind of quiet, which is surprising.”

“All good. Just enjoying the view.” As Ellie continued, Dina rolled her eyes, “I’d love it if my beautiful girlfriend would lay here and nap with me.” Ellie patted the spot next to her, giving Dina puppy eyes, “Please.”

Dina shook her head, smiling, “You’re annoying.”

“So are you.” Ellie shot back, grinning just as wide.

-

Dina had fallen asleep first. Ellie held her in her arms, humming soothing melodies until she knew the dark-haired girl was fast asleep. She loved napping with Dina. It was pretty high on her list of favorite things to do with Dina; of course, kissing her was number one. Shortly after, Ellie found herself falling asleep. 

Feeling Dina twitch in her arms, Ellie felt Dina’s chest rise and fall quickly. She heard as Dina cursed and consoled herself under her breath, so Ellie wrapped her arm around Dina’s waist tighter. “It’s okay, Dina. I’ve got you.” Placing a kiss on Dina’s shoulder, Ellie started to rub circles onto Dina’s back. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” She felt Dina’s tension fade, and she sank back into the taller girl.

“I’m sorry for waking you. I had a nightmare.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ellie watched as Dina rolled over to face her. Dina’s eyes were red and brimmed with tears threatening to fall. Ellie hugged her tighter, kissing Dina’s forehead. Once she let go, she tucked a strand of hair behind her girlfriend’s ear. “You don’t have to unless you want to. Just know that I’m here, okay?”

Dina placed a sweet kiss on Ellie’s lips. “Thank you, Ellie. I haven’t had a nightmare this bad in a few months, and when I do, they just feel so real. They’re always about someone trying to hurt someone close to me.” Ellie continued to rub soothing circles against Dina’s back, helping her relax. 

“You’re safe, Dina. I’m sorry your nightmares get that bad, but I just want you to know that I’ll always be here if you ever want to talk about them. I’ve got you.”

Once Dina was relaxed again, she grabbed the remote for the television in her room. She put it on a random channel for background noise while moving to lay between Ellie’s legs with her head resting on the taller girl’s stomach. She felt Ellie’s fingers absent-mindedly run through her dark hair. Turning her head, so her chin was resting on Ellie’s stomach. Dina looked at Ellie, who seemed lost in her thoughts.

“You’re staring.”

“I know.” Dina smiled. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I’m just thinking about how different life would be if Joel didn’t take me in. I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be with you. I’d have aged out of the system and somewhere else doing god know’s what.” 

“He’s a good man. Anyone that tolerated you as a teenager should be praised,” Dina laughed.

Ellie felt a smile form on her face, “Screw you, Dina.” 

Dina crawled up Ellie’s body, whispering in her ear, “You wish.” She winked, watching Ellie’s face flush.

-

As the night progressed, the girls started to get hungry. The weather turned dark and stormy, so leaving for dinner was not an option. Dina decided on ordering a half plain/half sausage pizza for dinner. When the food arrived, Ellie refused to leave Dina’s comfortable bed, but Dina successfully dragged her downstairs. As they got to the kitchen, Ellie smirked as her girlfriend’s eyes lit up at the pie.

“I’m starting to believe you think the pizza is more attractive than me.” 

“Can you blame me? Look at the cheesy deliciousness.” Dina bit her lip, “It’s calling my name.”

Ellie snorted, grabbing two plates from the cabinet. “Here, stop wasting the warmth.”

Dina whined, “Fine, but I’m taking the biggest one.” Grabbing the plates from Ellie and putting a slice on each one. 

They ate in comfortable silence, relishing in their food, and each other’s company. Once they finished cleaning up, they made their way to the den to play Mario Kart. Ellie kicked Dina’s ass yet again, watching as Dina turned into a small ball of fury. Dina may kick her ass in board games, but Ellie could kick her ass in video games. 

After kicking Dina’s ass one too many times, Dina gave in. They sat on the couch, watching a chick-flick Dina had recommended. The dark-haired girl scooted closer to Ellie, who wrapped her arm around her shoulders. Dina loved being in Ellie’s arms. She turned her head and looked up at the taller girl, who, in turn, was smiling at Dina. Dina flipped her position, looking right into Ellie’s eyes. 

“Can I ask you a question?”

“I don’t know, can you?”

“Scale of one to ten. One being like absolute trash, and ten being life-altering…” She trailed off, watching Ellie’s face tilt in confusion. She bit her lip before continuing, “How would you rate our kiss from the other night?”

“The one from Seth’s bar?”

“Yeah,” Dina smirked.

“What are you doing?” Ellie leaned in closer.

Dina whispered, “I asked you to rate our kiss.” She smiled at Ellie, who was looking down at her lap.

Bashfully, Ellie looked back into Dina’s eyes. “I don’t know.”

“I’d give it a six.” Dina deadpanned.

Ellie’s jaw dropped, “A six? Wow.”

“Like a solid six. There were a lot of people around.” Dina leaned back on her hands, loving Ellie’s reaction.

“Yeah, but, six?”

“Oh, what? I mean, now I really want to know how you’d rate it.”

Ellie shook her head, “I don’t think you do.” She smiled as Dina stared at her in disbelief. 

Dina watched as Ellie licked her lips and smirked, “You’re infuriating.”

“Have you met you?” Ellie shot back.

“You make me want to go outside and get struck by lightning.”

Ellie leaned in, whispering, “No one is stopping you.” Ellie tilted her head to get a better angle.

Dina’s glance dropped from Ellie’s eyes to her lips. She leaned in further, licking her lips. “This better be better than a six.”

Ellie cupped Dina’s cheeks, kissing her hard and rough. Dina attempted to push Ellie back to lay her down, but Ellie overpowered her, bringing Dina’s back to meet the cushion. Dina loved feeling Ellie’s weight on top of her, feeling the warmth radiate off her. She moaned when Ellie slipped her tongue into her mouth. Ellie smiled against Dina’s lips, lightly breaking the kiss. She moved her lips to Dina’s neck, nipping gently at the skin. Dina cupped Ellie’s cheek, bringing their lips together again. Her hands traveled under Ellie’s shirt, exploring new territory. She ran her fingers gently tracing patterns across Ellie’s back. Ellie groaned as Dina’s hands moved to her hips, holding her in place. Ellie slowed her kisses into pecks, leaning back and smiling. Dina pulled her in for one more kiss before letting her go.

Ellie looked at the girl under her, panting, her face flushed, and dark hair sticking to the sides of her face. “I must look so hot right now,” Dina’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“D, you could be bald, and I’d still think you were hot.” 

“You sure know how to compliment a girl.” Dina punched Ellie’s arm, causing her to laugh.

“You’re an asshole.” 

“You love it.” 

-

It was nearly 1 AM when Dina dragged Ellie to bed. The storm was still raging outside, the thunder was loud, and the night sky filled with flashes of white. Dina held Ellie in her arms as they watched the rain hit her window. It was a comforting sound to Ellie. She tapped the pitter-patter of the rain against Dina’s hand that she settled on her stomach. Dina mimicked the motions against Ellie’s stomach.

“Did it rain a lot back in Boston and Pittsburgh?”

“In Boston for sure. It was especially bad during the hurricane season. Sometimes the power would go out and stay out for days or even weeks. New York/New England was usually where the storms broke up, so we’d get the end of it.”

“It hardly rained back in New Mexico. It was so hot and dry down there. During the summer, it’d rain like a couple of inches and then back to the dry heat.” 

“I can’t imagine living in a hot climate. I’d be sweating so bad.” Dina snorted, “That and you’d burn so fast with your pale skin.”

“Shut up,” Ellie laughed. She turned and looked into Dina’s eyes, watching as the white flashes reflected in them. 

“Hey, El. Talia wanted me to invite you and Joel over for dinner next week. You don’t have to say yes, but I think it’s Talia’s way of getting to know you guys more. She said some shit about  _ ‘potential in-laws.’ _ ” Dina laughed as Ellie snorted.

“She called me ‘ _ future sister-in-law’ _ the other day before we were even dating.”

“I’m gonna smack her. I’m sorry she’s embarrassing most days.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, babe. Tell you what, I’ll ask Joel in the morning, and we can plan from there.”

Dina nodded, “You wanna get some sleep? I know I was a pain the ass this morning.” 

“This morning? You always are a pain in the ass.” Dina punched Ellie’s arm again. “I’m kidding!”

Dina smiled as Ellie placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m glad we got to spend the day together.”

“Me too. You weren’t as annoying as you usually are.” Ellie smirked, “As much as I complained, thank you for putting up with me and getting me in shape.” 

“Anything for you.” Dina yawned, “I think it’s bedtime.” She leaned in and gave Ellie a small but sweet kiss. Dina held her arms out for Ellie to snuggled against her. “Goodnight, Ellie.”

“Goodnight, babe. Sweet dreams.” Ellie wrapped around Dina’s body, letting her girlfriends breathing, lullaby her to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm changing the update schedule from Sunday/Wednesday to just Sunday. My brain is foggy and I've had a lack of inspiration to write lately. I hope this chapter makes up for it!


	10. Those Little Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been...over a month. I apologize for all the delays. Work has been killing me mentally and physically and life has been hectic. I hope this chapter makes up for it. I don't know when the next chapter will be as I don't really have a lot of inspiration to write at the moment. As always, thanks for reading.

Dina was nervous. Tonight, Ellie and Joel are coming over for dinner. Wanting things to go well, she cleaned her entire house making sure every single crevice did not have a speck of dust on it. Sure, it was just Joel and Ellie, and Dina knew them for a while, but it was different this time. It wasn’t Ellie, her friend coming over. It was Ellie, her _girlfriend,_ coming for dinner. Everything had to be perfect.

As Talia prepared dinner, Dina set the table, making sure everything was straight and in order. She rearranged the silverware multiple times, debating which position she should face them. She heard laughter coming from the kitchen and frowned. 

“Stop laughing at me. This is a serious issue!” 

“Dina, the table looks fine. Stop messing around with it.”

“I need tonight to go well. Everything needs to be perfect.” Dina rearranged the silverware a fifth time, making sure all the handles lined up with each other. 

Talia walked over, placing her hands on Dina’s shoulders. “You need to breathe. Do you really think Ellie and Joel will care what position the fork and knife are in? Ellie doesn’t even tie her shoes correctly.”

Dina sighed, taking in a deep breath, “You’re not wrong. I just don’t want to mess anything up tonight.” 

Talia shook her head, “You won’t, I promise. Everything looks great, and dinner is coming along well. Just chill out. Go take a shower and make yourself pretty for your girlfriend.” 

Dina nodded, running her fingers through her hair, “Okay. What are you making anyway?”

“Roasted chicken with potatoes and veggies.” 

“That’s perfect.” Dina straightened a plate one last time, “Okay, now I’m going to shower and get dressed.” 

“Good, you reek.” Dina flipped Talia off before running up the stairs, leaving Talia laughing. 

-

Taking a quick shower, Dina flossed and brushed her teeth. She wanted to look absolutely perfect for her girlfriend. Dina knew Ellie didn’t care about her appearance, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to look pretty. Ellie’s told her multiple times how beautiful she is, even if she’s wearing a sweater ten times her size and not wearing any makeup whatsoever. 

Dina threw her hair into a bun, the shorter stubborn hair framing her face. She rummaged through her dresser, pulling out a pair of black jeans. She pulled them up her legs, looking at how they clung to her body. Happy with the lower half of her body, Dina walked over to her closet, picking out a lavender blouse. While holding up the blouse to her chest, she heard her text notification go off. She quickly pulled the blouse on and checked her phone,

_Ellie: What are you doing?_

_Dina: Picking out an outfit for tonight. What are you doing?_

_Ellie: I’m fresh out of a shower._

_Ellie: What are you wearing right now?_

Recently, Ellie was starting to be a bit bolder with Dina. She was heavily flirting and touching Dina at any chance she could get. Their makeout sessions became more physical and heavier, Ellie’s hands exploring new territory on the shorter girl’s body and vice versa. Dina didn’t mind one bit. She loved it when her girlfriend’s fingernails dug into her back as she sucked at her neck. Her personal favorite was when she would kiss right below the taller girl’s ear, hitting a sensitive spot, and she’d breathe out a “ _Fuck, Dina.”_

 _“Maybe Ellie’s ready to take things to the next level_ ,” she thought about it for a while. Dina knew she was ready but didn’t want to push Ellie into anything until she was one hundred percent sure knew how her girlfriend felt. Dina decided tonight that she was going to ask her.

_Dina: Ellie, are you trying to slide into my DMs?_

_Ellie: That depends. Is it working?_

_Dina: Wouldn’t you like to know_

_Ellie: Absolutely. I’m just lying here thinking of you._

_Ellie: I miss your face_

_Ellie: your lips_

_Ellie: your touch_

_Dina: Ellie._

_Ellie: Yeah?_

_Dina: I hate you._

_Ellie: Good. I’ll see you soon, babe. Leaving in 5._

Dina felt herself getting hot. The once shy girl Ellie was, is no longer there. She loved this side of her girlfriend. Confidence was very sexy on Ellie, and she knew it. Smirking at her phone, Dina decided to look herself over in the mirror. She noticed her cheeks were flushed, and her grin was larger than ever. Dina tried cooling off for a bit, but five minutes was quickly approaching. Deciding that she looked perfect, Dina headed downstairs, just as the oven timer went off, signaling the food was ready. 

“You okay? Your face is kind of flushed.” Talia walked over to Dina, placing a hand on her forehead, “No temperature, which is good.”

“I’m alright. It’s just...nerves.” 

“No need to be nervous around your girlfriend. Tonight is going to go well.” Talia walked into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to face her sister, “You clean up nicely, by the way.”

“Thanks. Ellie texted me that they’re leaving soon. Is there anything I can help out with before they get here?”

“Nope, everything is just about ready! Thank you, though.” Talia smiled as she brought the chicken to the table and began carving it.

Like clockwork, there was a knock at the door. Dina smoothed out her clothes and walked over to the door. As she opened it, Joel was standing at the front while Ellie was behind him. She had a small smirk on her face, holding something behind her back.

“Hey, Joel.” Dina stood on her tippy toes to hug Joel, “Come on in, make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you, Dina. Tess helped me make these for you.” Joel held out a tray of cookies and brownies. Just like Dina and Talia did on their second day in Jackson.

Talia walked behind Dina, grabbing the tray from Joel. “Thank you so much, Joel. Dinner is just about ready.” 

Ellie lingered at the door, smirking at her girlfriend. “Hey, babe. I brought something you’d might like.” 

“I already saw Joel; what do you mean?” Dina laughed as Ellie rolled her eyes. 

“I got these for you.” She pulled out a bouquet of tulips from behind her back.

Dina’s eyes lit up with the biggest smile on her face. “Ellie! I love them.” Grabbing the bouquet from Ellie’s hands, she brought the flowers to her nose, taking in their scent, “You didn’t have to do that.”

Ellie rubbed the back of her neck, “I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted today to be special. On our first date, I took flowers from the garden that weren’t even fully bloomed. This time, something beautiful for my girlfriend.”

Dina smiled as she wrapped her arms around Ellie’s neck. The bouquet gently hitting Ellie’s back, “I love them. Thank you, babe.” She leaned in and softly pecked Ellie.

Ellie wrapped her arms around Dina’s waist, “Anything for you.” Kissing her girlfriend again. She released her hold from Dina, stepping back and admiring her girlfriend. “You look beautiful.”

Dina blushed, placing a soft kiss on Ellie’s cheek. She took a step back and inspected Ellie’s outfit. She was wearing hole-free black jeans, a clean pair of black converse, and a red and black flannel. “You look very handsome.” Ellie smiled as Dina moved to the side, “Come inside. I don’t want you to get cold.” 

The auburn-haired girl followed Dina into the house. She sat across from Joel at the table while Dina walked into the kitchen to place the flowers into a vase. Talia walked in, grabbing the rest of the food to bring to the table. 

“Aw, Ellie bought you those?” Dina nodded and smiled. “Jesse never did anything like that for you. She must have it bad for you,” Talia laughed.

Dina rolled her eyes at the comment. “We were in high school. What highschooler buys flowers for their girlfriend?”

“Touché.” Talia laughed as Dina nodded.

“Hey, you wanna bet five bucks Ellie stuffs her face?” Dina pulled a five-dollar bill out of her wallet, placing it on the counter. 

Talia snorted as she did the same, “You’re on.”

-

Dina won. They watched as Ellie shoveled food into her mouth. For something kind of disgusting, it was rather entertaining. 

“Will you stop shoveling that damn food in your mouth? You’re gonna make us hurl.” Joel smirked.

“Joel, you should have seen her with the pizza we had the other day. She inhaled three slices within five minutes.” Ellie rolled her eyes, shoveling another forkful of food into her mouth.

“Not my fault. Food is delicious.” She swallowed what was in her mouth, “Which, by the way, Talia, this food is incredible.” 

“Thanks, Ellie. It’s a family recipe. I once tried getting Dina to make something from the family cookbook, and she almost set the whole house on fire.”

“Hey, don’t start with me!”

Ellie and Joel laughed as Dina stuck her tongue out at her sister. Ellie placed a hand on the inside of her girlfriend’s thigh, gently squeezing. Dina turned her head towards Ellie, smirking at the touch. 

Once the group finished eating, Dina offered to start cleaning off dishes. She made a face at Ellie, signaling to the kitchen with her eyes. Ellie nodded, understanding Dina’s request.

She reached for Ellie’s plate, and Ellie shook her head, “I’ll help you out. Joel, you finished?” He nodded his head, and Ellie grabbed his plate. She left Joel and Talia to a casual conversation.

Grabbing as many dishes as she could, Dina placed them in the sink, letting the soap and water wash away any residue. Ellie put a few more plates in the sink before wrapping her arms around Dina’s waist. She started peppering kisses along Dina’s shoulder, rocking their bodies back and forth. Dina tilted her head to the side, giving her girlfriend more access to her exposed neck. She turned around only to be pinned between Ellie’s hips and the counter. Ellie smirked as she began to lean in. Dina grabbed Ellie by her shirt collar, pressing their lips together. Dina practically melted when Ellie slipped her tongue in her mouth. She was glad Ellie was holding her waist. 

“Babe.” Dina managed to get out once Ellie’s lips were off her.

“Hm?” Ellie moved to Dina’s neck, kissing the soft skin.

“We’re gonna get caught.”

“Good.” Dina felt Ellie smirk against her skin. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” Ellie nipped at the spot that drives Dina crazy, a small moan escaping her throat.

“I know I asked you to come in here, but you’re distracting me. I wanted to ask you something, but the sooner we get these done, the sooner we can kiss.”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Ellie stepped away from Dina, picking up a hand towel to dry the dishes her girlfriend cleaned. After a few moments of silence, Ellie cleared her throat, “Hey Dina...I wanted to ask you something too. Would it be okay if I went first?” 

The dark-haired girl wiped down the last plate before turning to look at Ellie, “What’s on your mind?” 

“I know we’ve only been dating a few weeks, but would you…” Ellie felt a blush crawl up on her cheeks, “Nevermind. It’s stupid.”

Dina put the plate on the drying rack. After wiping her hands on a towel, she cupped Ellie’s face. “You can tell me anything. I’m sure whatever it is you’re about to say is not stupid.” Dina stood on her tippy toes, kissing the tip of Ellie’s nose.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Ellie glanced down at the floor. Her voice barely a whisper, “I was...I was wondering if you’d wanna take the next step. With me.”

Dina’s eyebrows shot up, and her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding?”

Ellie frowned, “What?”

“You always beat me to the punch. I was planning on asking you the same thing.” Dina watched as Ellie’s facial expression shifted, her frown turning into a bright smile.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Ellie winked as they finished the dishes.

-

After playing a few board games and sharing embarrassing family stories, Joel decided to call it a night. Talia had a shift the next morning, and Joel had to be at the construction site bright and early.

“Okay, ladies. I think it’s time I head on home. I had a good time tonight. Thank you for having us, Talia.” Joel stated as he put his jacket on.

“Of course! Thank you for coming. We’ll have to do this again sometime.” Talia smiled at the older man.

“Next time is at our place. I’ll try and make sure Maria takes it easy on you for your next shifts.” Joel looked at Ellie, who was still on the couch next to Dina. “Kiddo, you comin’? Dina’s gonna get sick of you real quick.” He laughed as Ellie rolled her eyes.

“I think I’m way past that point, Joel,” Dina teased. 

“Why do you both have to gang up on me.” Ellie groaned.

“Because it’s fun.” Dina kissed Ellie’s cheek, “Are you going home?”

“Is there something you need me to do?”

“No, but I wanted you to stay a bit longer. I missed you all day.”

“I missed you too. I had some stuff to take care of earlier, but it’s all finished. Let me just talk to Joel first.” Dina nodded before Ellie got up, walking over to Joel. “Hey Joel, I’m not heading home just yet. There’s something I need to do first.”

“Don’t stay out too late.” Joel smiled and hugged Ellie, “I’ll see you at home, kiddo. Thank you again for a great night, ladies.” 

Ellie walked back to her girlfriend, holding her hand out. “There’s something I want to show you.” 

Dina took Ellie’s hand and smiled, “Oooh, a late-night adventure or something else?” Dina wiggled her eyebrows, causing Ellie to cringe.

“An adventure, asshole. I swear if you ever do that eyebrow thing again, I will stop talking to you.” 

“Maybe I should have done it long ago.” Ellie rolled her eyes, “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, babe. Go grab your jacket, and we can head over.” Dina kissed Ellie’s check before running up the stairs leaving Ellie and Talia alone.

“Where are you taking my sister?”

“Tommy helped me set up a small surprise date. We’re going to watch a movie under the stars.” Ellie smiled, thinking of the hard work she and Tommy did.

Dina came downstairs, her brown jacket buttoned up, “Ready to go?”

“Yes. Thank you for dinner tonight, Talia. It was delicious, and I look forward to the next time.”

“Have a goodnight, you two,” Talia called out as Dina dragged Ellie out of the house.

Once the front door was locked and closed, Dina pushed Ellie against it, kissing her hard. Dina bit Ellie’s lower lip as she pulled back, leaving her flushed. 

“You have no clue how bad I wanted to do that since your text.” Dina kissed Ellie again, this time slower and taking her time memorizing the way Ellie’s lips moved against hers. Ellie smiled, breaking the kiss. She rested her forehead against Dina’s.

“I really like you,” Ellie whispered against Dina’s lips. 

“I really like you too.”

-

While walking through town, the spring festival was in the works. The pastel lights were up and brightening the street. Dina pulled out her phone, snapping pictures of Ellie as she walked ahead of her. Just as Ellie turned to look at her girlfriend, Dina captured another picture. Ellie gave her a soft smile, holding her hand out for Dina to take. 

“Where are you taking me?” Dina grabbed Ellie’s hand, letting the taller girl lead her to their destination. 

“It’s a surprise,” Ellie winked. “I don’t want to ruin all the fun.” 

Ellie led Dina to a small garden of blooming roses and tulips. As they continued down the path, Dina froze in her spot. She looked over at Ellie, who was grinning at her shocked face. 

“You did this?” Dina stared in amazement at Ellie’s surprise. There was a picnic blanket covered in rose petals and tea light candles in the middle of the field. On it was Ellie’s guitar and a basket full of desserts and fruits. A few feet away was a white sheet with a projector aimed at it. 

“Yes. Tommy helped me out while I was home. We made it work.” Ellie smiled at her girlfriend. “Come.” Ellie grabbed Dina’s hand, leading her to the blanket. Ellie sat down, opening the basket to reveal a bottle of cider. 

“What’s this for?” Dina asked as Ellie popped the cork, filling up two glasses. She handed one to Dina, who, in return, gave her a quick kiss. 

“Can’t a girl take her lovely girlfriend out for a spontaneous movie date?” 

“Dessert and a movie? I couldn’t think of anything better.” 

As the girls sipped their cider and savored the fruit from the basket, Ellie reached over, grabbing her guitar. Once it settled on her lap, she looked over at Dina, who was smiling ear to ear. 

“Remember that night at the bonfire?” Dina nodded as Ellie smiled at her. She began to pluck the chords,

_We're talking away_

_I don't know what I'm about to say_

_I'll say it anyway_

_Today's another day to find you._

_Shying away_

_I'll be coming for your love, okay?_

Dina swayed back and forth while Ellie serenaded her. She wanted nothing more than to grab that guitar and stop the song with a kiss. Ellie played, looking right into Dina’s eyes, not able to hold back a smile as she sang each lyric. A blush creeping up on her cheeks. Ellie looked back to the guitar as she finished the song. Dina smiled as Ellie gently placed the guitar back on the ground beside her.

“You should have kissed me then.”

Ellie sighed before admitting, “I wanted to.” 

Dina smiled at her girlfriend, who gave her the same dopey grin, “Me too.”

“I’m glad we don’t have to hold back anymore.” Ellie leans in and places a chaste kiss against Dina’s lips. She rested her forehead against the dark-haired girl’s.

“Ellie?” Dina breathed out, moving her hand to cup Ellie’s cheek. Ellie leaned into the touch. She loved how soft Dina’s hands were compared to her calloused ones. “I need to tell you something.”

“What’s on your mind?” She took a sip of cider, watching as Dina looked down, preoccupied with picking the grass surrounding the blanket. “Babe, what’s wrong?” 

The dark-haired girl lifted her head; her eyes sparkled with each flick of the candles. She pushed a stray hair behind her ear, taking in a deep breath and exhaling, “I...I love you.” 

Ellie felt her stomach twist and fill with butterflies. The cider that was in her mouth went down her windpipe, causing her to choke. Ellie was 100% sure she imagined those words coming from Dina’s mouth. Dina patted at Ellie’s back as she coughed a few times, clearing her throat, wiping away any tears that formed. “Was that real, or did I just imagine that.” 

“It’s real, asshole.” Dina playfully shoved the taller girl, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you choke, but I love you, Ellie. I don’t expect you to say it back. I know you may not be ready to say it since everything that happened with-” Ellie shakes her head and cuts Dina off with a kiss. It’s slow and gentle. It’s filled with everything she feels about the dark-haired girl. 

“Stop talking, Dina.” Ellie kisses her again, “I love you too.”

Dina smiles, then her lips are pressed against her girlfriend’s, pushing Ellie’s back to meet the ground. She places both of her hands next to Ellie’s head, leaning down to kiss her gently. After the last peck, Dina breaks it with a smile. “You love me.” She places a small kiss on Ellie’s nose then back to her lips.

Ellie breathes out, “Fuck, I do. I _really_ fucking do.” 

The movie played in the background long forgotten.

-

The walk back to Dina’s house took forever. Ellie couldn’t keep her hands off Dina’s body, pinning her to every wall. Her lips refused to leave her girlfriends, and every moan to escape from Dina’s throat drove Ellie insane. 

Once they make it to Dina’s house, Dina finds herself pinned against her front door, Ellie assaulting her neck with hot kisses and gentle nips. Her leg placed between Dina’s thighs, Ellie presses her lips to Dina’s, kissing her hard and earning a moan from her girlfriend.

Dina presses her hand against Ellie’s chest, gently pushing her back. “I don’t know what has gotten into you.” She laughed as Ellie blushed.

“Maybe you just drive me crazy.” Ellie dipped her head to kiss Dina again, only to be met with Dina’s cheek. She leans back, tilting her head when she sees Dina’s confused face. “Fuck, am I going too fast? I can slow down if you need me t-” Dina shut’s Ellie up with a kiss.

“Look who’s rambling now.” Dina laughs as Ellie rolls her eyes, “I want you to stay over.” 

“Really? Isn’t Talia home?”

“Yeah…” Dina shrugged before wrapping her arms around Ellie’s waist.

“I don’t know how comfortable I am fucking you when your sister is asleep nearly 10 feet away.”

“You’ll just have to stay quiet.” Dina winked at Ellie, bringing her in for another kiss. 

“ _Fuck.”_ Ellie breathed out. “I don’t think I could stay quiet. You have no clue what you do to me.” 

“I can’t wait to find out.” Dina fumbles with her keys before opening the door to her house.

They walk inside, and Dina grabs Ellie’s hand, pulling her up towards her bedroom. Ellie nearly trips up the stairs with how fast Dina pulled her up. As soon as they enter Dina’s bedroom, the door is slammed shut, and instantly, Ellie is pushed against the door. Dina’s mouth seals to Ellie’s. They both groan at the sensation as Ellie runs her slim fingers into Dina’s dark locks. Ellie arches her body against the shorter girl. “Dina...kiss me.” 

Ellie feels her knees go weak as Dina does just that, her tongue sealing the moan off her lips. Dina nips at Ellie’s lip gently, humming as she feels the taller girl shiver. “You have no clue how bad I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Yeah?” Ellie whispers as Dina leans her head back to Ellie’s and kisses her desperately, intoxicated by the way her mouth moves against her own. She loves the way Ellie catches her lip between her teeth. “Dina, more…” 

With a possessive groan, Dina runs her lips up Ellie’s jaw, then sucks on a sensitive spot just beneath her ear. Ellie breathes out a light _fuck_ , sending an instant pang between Dina’s legs. “I’ve been imagining doing that since the moment you walked into my house today.” 

“And?” 

“Reality is so much better than my imagination.” 

As she continues to kiss the taller girl’s neck, Ellie feels the soft curves of Dina’s body pressed against her own. Suddenly, Dina’s knee slipped between her thighs, causing Ellie’s toes to curl. Ellie grinds down on Dina’s leg involuntarily. Her body seeking any sort of friction.

“Fuck…” Ellie moans as one of Dina’s hands slides around to cup the small of her back, arching her spine gently. Forcing Ellie to grind down as she draws her impossibly closer. “Fuck, Dina, don’t stop.”

“Oh, Ellie. I have absolutely no intention of stopping any of this.” The dark-haired girl skims her hands down Ellie’s sides, over her hips, down the back of Ellie’s thighs, and squeezes. The taller girl moans deep in her throat, and if Dina wasn’t wet before, she certainly is now. “Fuck, I love the way you sound.” She tickles her fingers against the back of Ellie’s knee, and she sucks in a breath. “I can’t wait to see how bad you fail to stay quiet.”

Dina shifts, her knee pressing more insistently between Ellie’s slender thighs, causing her breath to stutter in her throat, “Fuck. Dina, stop cheating.” Dina lets out a small laugh, pressing another kiss to Ellie’s neck.

She suddenly takes Ellie’s hips and pulls her towards the bed, where Dina sits against the headboard and guides Ellie down on top of her. Ellie braces her hands on Dina’s shoulders, and time stands still as they gaze at each other—Dina disheveled beneath Ellie, Ellie breathless above her. 

“You know, El, I really love seeing you on top.”

“Yeah? Does that mean you like giving up control, or…?”

Dina’s slender fingers tease along Ellie’s waist, making her burn to feel more of Dina’s touch. The dark-haired girl smirks like she knows exactly what her girlfriend is thinking. “I’m definitely in control...kiss me.”

Ellie is powerless to resist. The moment her lips meet Dina’s, her grip tightens, bringing Ellie flush against her. Ellie rocks her hips lazily in her girlfriend’s lap, wanting to rile her up. Dina groans against Ellie’s mouth, and she’s never felt so confident. “You sure you’re in control there?” Ellie laughs, pressing a kiss to Dina’s neck.

 **“** Honestly, not even close, babe.” 

“Good.” 

Ellie quickly untucks Dina’s blouse from her pants, and Dina lifts her arms so Ellie can pull it off and toss it aside. Her chest rises and falls heavily as she slings her arms over the headboard giving her girlfriend easy access to her body. Ellie memorizes all of the freckles painted across her girlfriend’s chest. She wants to kiss each and every one but decides to kiss the freckles scattered on the swell of Dina’s breasts. Dina lets out a sigh as her head falls back against the headboard. Ellie makes a quick movement of taking off Dina’s bra before her hands roam Dina’s abs, down to her hips where her finger linger on her scar. “You still haven’t told me how you got this.” She quickly unbuttons Dina’s pants, helping her shimmy out of them, taking her underwear with them. Her groan makes Ellie’s stomach tighten with want. 

“I’ll tell you about it after, but first, more stripping. I’m not going to be the only one naked here.” Dina jokes as she unbuttons Ellie’s flannel, kissing newly exposed skin as each button pops open. She slides it down her girlfriend’s muscular arms before doing the same with her bra. She rests her hands against her girlfriend’s stomach, feeling Ellie’s newly found abs. “Where did these come from?” Dina asks as she dips her head to kiss a freckle on Ellie’s chest.

“Some annoying girl who decided we should start exercising more.” Ellie huffed as she ran her slim fingers through Dina’s dark hair.

Dina’s hands move down to Ellie’s belt, slowly unbuckling it. She pops the button with ease and makes a show as she pulls down the zipper on Ellie’s pants. She pulls them down along with her underwear to Ellie’s knees, guiding her up to help her out of them. Dina’s gaze rakes over Ellie’s body, and she takes in a slow breath.

“Cat got your tongue, D?” 

Dina smirks, shaking her head, “You’re fucking beautiful, Ellie.” Finally, she places her hands on her girlfriend, one resting on Ellie’s hip and the other hand on her stomach, sending sparks throughout Ellie’s body. Smirking down at her girlfriend, Ellie grabs Dina’s hand that was once resting on her stomach and brings it down between her legs. Dina slowly circles at Ellie’s clit, causing Ellie to throw her head back as pleasure courses through her.

“Fuck me, Dina.” 

Dina lets out a growl as her fingers start moving against Ellie’s wet heat. “God, you’re so wet, El.” Ellie pants, her hips moving desperately to get more friction. Ellie grabs Dina’s shoulders to balance herself as she feels her Dina slip a finger inside her. Ellie meets each thrust with her hips while Dina continues to pepper kisses along her neck. Dina curls her finger just right, and Ellie can feel her orgasm building faster and faster.

“Dina. Fuck. Don’t stop.” Dina mischievously smiles as she pulls her hand away, leaving Ellie to cry out at the sudden lack of contact. 

“Ellie. Look at me.” Ellie stares at Dina until she dives for her lips. Over the sound of her pulse pounding in her ears, the taller girl hears Dina groan like she’s intoxicated by the taste of her. Ellie’s hips are flushed against Dina’s, and she can tell how much the dark-haired girl wants her by the way she pushes up against her. “I think I’m about to win that challenge.”

Dina’s voice is hoarse with unraveling restraint, and Ellie breathes out a laugh against her lips. “You wish.” Dina shuts Ellie up as she slips two fingers into her. Her fingers expertly moving with Dina. “Fuck. Faster, babe.” Dina does what she’s told and fucks Ellie faster, her thumb rubbing circles against her aching bud. Ellie feels her orgasm build again; Dina knows she’s close. “Babe, I’m close.” Dina pumped her fingers faster, feeling Ellie’s walls clench around her fingers. With one last swipe of her clit, “I’m gonna cum.” Ellie shrieked as the waves of her orgasm hit her. She wrapped her arms around Dina’s shoulders while her body curled as she jerked as her orgasm ripped through her. Dina slows her thrust, helping Ellie come down from her high. 

Ellie kisses Dina as she glides her hand down Dina’s stomach before moving to where Dina’s needs her the most. She starts rubbing slow circles teases against Dina’s clit, teasing her. “Don’t fucking tease me, Ellie. Fuck m-” Dina is cut off as Ellie slips her fingers into her entrance before moving her digits in an in-out motion. “Oh, fuck.” She writhes underneath Ellie, and Ellie grins at the feeling of control that runs through her body. 

“Did you imagine _this_ when we were talking earlier? **”** Dina takes her hand and covers Ellie’s hand with hers, increasing the pressure against her. Ellie could easily explode at the sight. She thinks that’s the hottest thing she’s ever seen, causing another pang between her legs.

“Fuck, you’re better than my imagination, but there’s more that I want.” Ellie leans in her lips, centimeters from Dina’s. Dina lightly nips at Ellie’s lower lip and then murmurs against her mouth. “I want you.” 

“Dina, I’m in control.” Ellie takes Dina’s chin in her hand and nips playfully at her lip. Dina’s intake of breath coils desire in Ellie’s stomach tighter. “We’re going to do this my way.” Dina stifles a groan, her eyelids fluttering. Ellie can’t wait to have her way with her girlfriend. 

**“** Your way sounds pretty fucking fantastic.” Dina grabs Ellie’s face, bringing their lips together.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Ellie smirks as she slides off Dina’s lap. She settles between Dina’s legs after spreading them apart. She gazes at Dina’s wet heat, licking her lips. Dina’s pupils immediately dilate as she realizes what Ellie’s thinking. Teasingly, Ellie brushes her lips against the inside of Dina’s knee, then slowly works her way up Dina’s thigh. Dina swallows loudly as she feels Ellie’s warm breath right where she wants her.

“Enjoying the view?” Dina laughs but is instantly cut short. Her hard clit pokes through shiny, wet folds, the view so enticing that Ellie can’t hold back anymore. She tickles Dina’s clit with a pointed tongue, then sucks her into her mouth. Dina’s fingers tangle in auburn hair as she holds Ellie against her, panting loudly. “Yes, just like that...”

“Hmm? You like that, D?” Her praise heightens Ellie’s own excitement; she feels herself becoming even wetter. Ellie is eager to hear more, so she continues her ministrations before adding a finger, smoothly gliding into her girlfriend’s entrance. Ellie fucks Dina slowly as she continues lapping at Dina’s slick folds, paying close attention to her clit. Dina’s head falls back deeper into the pillow, boosting Ellie’s ego. 

“Fuck, Ellie. Keep going.” Ellie lavishes her attention on making Dina feel good, and by the way, Dina is moaning and shaking, Ellie knows she is a total pro. Dina moans loudly when Ellie curls her fingers just right. “Fuck.” Ellie feels confident, she feels desired, and she feels capable. “I’m gonna cum.”

“Cum for me, babe.” With one more thrust, Dina’s orgasm hits her. She feels her legs tighten around Ellie’s shoulder, and her body shakes from the orgasm. She feels Ellie slow her thrust, and she pulls Ellie up for a kiss, not caring that she can taste herself on her girlfriend’s tongue.

-

A few hours later, after a couple more rounds of incredible sex, Dina laid with her head on Ellie’s chest. Ellie’s fingers ran soothing patterns along her girlfriends back. She pressed a kiss to the dark-haired girl's head. She laid her head flat against the pillow, thinking of the night they had. Dina felt Ellie’s chest shake, so she looked up at her girlfriend, who had a fit of giggles. “What’s so funny?”

“I think we lost.” Dina turned her head in confusion, “Neither of us managed to stay quiet.”

Dina snorted. She felt her face go red, throwing her hands over her face to hide her embarrassment. “Well, how can I not keep quiet with you? You were goddamn incredible.”

“Thanks, you were pretty great yourself.” Ellie winked as Dina smirked. “Think you can bear to look your sister in the face? You were pretty loud.”

“Fuck you, Ellie.” Dina playfully punched Ellie’s arm, causing Ellie to snort.

“Just did, babe.” Dina rolled her eyes before a small smile settled on her lips. Ellie runs her hand against Dina’s scar, feeling the raised edges of it. “Hey, D?”

“Yeah?” She looks at Ellie, who looks down at the scar, “Oh...when I was younger, I borrowed a friend’s skateboard. I busted my ass and fell onto a rake on his front lawn.” Ellie stifled a laugh, “Hey, fuck you. I was a dumbass back then.”

“Still are.” Ellie teased.

“What about you. How’d you get your eyebrow scar?” 

“I got into a fight with this girl Abby in foster care. She was kind of intense. We were 13, and she pushed me into the glass cabinet, and I needed like 20 stitches. After that, I heard she got sent to another home in Seattle.”

“What did you guys even fight about?” 

“She was trying to bully me, and I stood my ground, which she didn’t really like, but it’s whatever. I’m okay, and I’m happier than ever.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Dina snuggled closer into Ellie’s chest. She smiled as Ellie wrapped her arms tighter around her.

“Hey, Dina?”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad I met you. I love you.”

“I love you too, Ellie.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like writing smut and I don't do it often, lemme know what you think. Thanks for reading, y'all.


End file.
